With the court approving the Ganguly Committee point system the situations for parents has become worse than being better. The Ganguly Committee has provided a 100 point system for admissions at primary school level. The system eradicates the child interaction that was once a vital part of selection procedure for school admissions. This rule is only for the private schools. Under the point system 80 points are provided on the basis of proximity to school, single child or siblings, qualifications of the parents and the alumni parents. The remaining 20 points are left with schools to decide on any criteria. There are 15 seats in hands of the schools that they can provide to children based on any criteria.

Under the system, a child receives 20 points if he or she is residing within 3km range of the school with the increase in distance there is a reduction in points and if the child stays beyond 10km in range of school he or she gets 0 points. Similarly, there are points given if the child already has a sibling studying in the school. The qualification of the parents also matters in the under the new system. If the father is post graduate and mother a graduate the child receives 20 points. These further increase if the mother is also a post graduate. If you were alumni of the same school then your child gets some points again. With this new system being approved those who were not in favor of child interviews at the time for admission are facing some problems that are worse.

There are many people who enter there family business after they clear graduation. There are still some parents who have not been so privileged to attain higher education after the level of 10+2. Since, under the new system qualification of the parents is a critical factor for child’s admission into the school has anyone thought what happens to children of illiterate or less educated parents? Do not they have a right to education? Or is it that parental education has become the mark for judging the I.Q. of child? Are we not fostering the gap between the literate and illiterates when we abide by such a law? Is it not going to increase the level of illiteracy among future generations? What is the future that we are giving to such children? Would they grow up as street vendors and hawkers? These are some of the questions that are being asked by the troubled parents.

Another aspect of the newly devised system that has put people on rage is the additional 5 points being given to the girl child in comparison to the boy child. Many parents argue that today when we talk about the equality between men and women is not such a rule laying the foundations of gender bias? Is the law not discriminating on the basis of gender here?

The neighborhood points offered relief to some residents who lived proximal to big schools. However, with other factors influencing the admission process their relief was also short lived. Many people have argued that if they are unable to find a residency that lies within 10 km range of established private schools would their children be deprived of the quality education and overall personality development that are offered at these institutions during the schooling years?

The alumni parent feature the list has amused quite a few young families who have migrated into the city for professional reasons. Since, they got their education in some other part of the country or globe and settled in a particular city due to reasons that can be attributed job, family etc. do their children loose the right towards quality education in the city?

This indeed is a very sorry state of affairs when on one hand we are talking about the booming Indian economy and India hoping to become one of the super powers in coming 50 years, on the other hand we are depriving the younger generation of their constitutional right to education.

Via: IndianExpress