Pvt school admissions get tougher

New Delhi: It's going to get tougher to get admissions in private schools across the country from 2006.

That's because schools have also been bought under the amendment that ensures quota for SC/ST and OBC students in private unaided institutions.

This in addition to the 20 per cent reservation that already exists in Delhi schools for the economically backward classes.

The debate on the Constitutional Amendment regarding the SC/ST reservation in private unaided institutions may be over in Parliament, but private schools in Delhi still haven't figure out the math.

"There's a social responsibility alright, but 20 to 25 per cent reservation is going to really affect the schools. After this quota, how many seats will be left for the common person's child?" Madhulika Sen, Principal, Mothers International School, says.

Shyama Chona, Principal of Delhi Public School R K Puram echoes Sen and also raises another important point.

"We talk of equal opportunities and are actually giving more opportunity to others. My children would want to be SC/ST/OBCs to get into private schools and colleges," Chona says.

It's up to the state governments to decide what percentage of seats are to be reserved for SC/SC?OBCs students.

The Delhi Education Department is promising not to put too much pressure on schools. It's plan is to include the economically weaker students in the existing 20 per cent quota and have a separate quota for students who can afford to pay the school fees.

"We have to formulate a plan whereby the quota does not increase beyond 20 to 25 per cent," Arvinder Singh Lovely, Delhi Education Minister, says.

Despite Lovely's assurances however, many questions are still remain unanswered.

There is some confusion over how the amendment is going to be implemented. One of the confusions is whether the students being admitted under the quota scheme will pay the school fees themselves or will these expenses be borne by the state.

Another question many are posing is why minority schools have not been bought under the purview of the amendment, and most importantly, how much reservation is too much.

The larger question is whether reservation is aimed to benefit the poor or a just a particular section of society.

And like most hard questions its one that doesn't have any easy answers.