NOIDA: All schools in Noida and Greater Noida will face government scrutiny during the academic session to see if they are adhering to the nursery admission rule of enrolling only those students who live within a kilometre of the campus, the basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) of the district has said.The education officer, Bal Mukund Prasad, said he was aware that many Noida schools are approached by Delhi residents for nursery admissions. He “urged” schools in the twin cities to refrain from giving admission to kids who reside in Delhi.While the nursery admission process in most Noida schools for the 2019-20 session is complete, some schools in Greater Noida are still taking students. There are some other schools that have kept 10% seats vacant to accommodate last-minute admissions. Those are likely to happen now since January 7 was the last date for submission of forms for nursery admission in Delhi schools.“Schools should hold fast to admission rules for children in our schools. Children must be residents of Noida, within 1km of the school, to be eligible for admission. We will be conducting a scrutiny of records in the middle of the academic session to see whether the schools are adhering to our admission norms. The opportunity for Noida schools is reserved for families settled here,” Prasad said, citing provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Education Act.This year, the number of Delhi parents seeking admission in Noida schools could, in fact, be more. This is because Delhi schools have corrected admission criteria by reducing the nursery admission age to three-plus with an upper limit of four years. Noida has always had three-plus as an admission requirement for nursery.If Noida enforces the 1km rule, it will reduce significantly the number of options, especially for residents of East Delhi , who are located within comfortable commuting distance of Noida schools. Besides, some premier private schools that figure on the wish list of most parents are located in Noida. The BSA’s advisory will be a matter of concern for them. The rule is hard to implement within Noida as well with people moving into flats in several new sectors that do not have support infrastructure.Ankita Sharma, an East Delhi-based parent, chose a Noida school because she thought it was better than the options she had in Delhi. “When we started applying for admission, we were turned down by a few schools in Noida who said they only take children residing in Noida. But later, we got admission for our child in a reputable Noida school easily.”Reicha Vohra, also a Delhi resident, said, “My son is turning three on February 23. So, for the next nursery admission, he will be too old. I have started applying to Delhi schools because if I don’t get him through to any school this season, he will have to go to KG next year. So, either I keep him back in nursery at the playschool he goes to or seek admission in a Noida school. We will decide after February 4 when the admission results in all Delhi schools are declared.”“Yes, schools in Noida do face pressure from Delhi parents who seek admission here because of the good options available in Noida,” said Renu Singh, principal of Amity International School . “But for this year, we are not entertaining any application any more. Our admissions have been closed in September itself.”Asha Prabhakar, principal of Bal Bharti Public School, added, “In Noida, admissions conclude much sooner than in Delhi, but many schools preserve at least 10% seats to accommodate parents who seek urgent admission. At times, these are parents who have been transferred from other cities. We also keep a section of seats open for children from the economic backward sections, so a provision for accommodating a small number of children stays with a school.”

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