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Delhi

School removes clause fixing age cap for nursery admission

Delhi high court was informed by a Rohini-based school that it has deleted a clause from its admission brochure which had fixed a maximum age cap for admission in nursery class.

The petition filed by Pankaj Kumar had alleged that Sachdeva Public School of Rohini has refused to accept the application form for the admission of his son on the ground that the child would cross the four-year age limit on 31 March, the cut-off date for receipt of forms.

Hearing the case, Justice G S Sistani later disposed of Kumar’s application after an official from the school told the court that the clause has been dropped. The school official told the court that the clause will not be in force now and the administration would accept nursery admission forms of those kids who have crossed four years.

The petition alleged that a notification of Directorate of Education (DoE) has fixed 3 years as the lower age for admission in nursery and categorically bars unaided private schools from fixing any upper age cap for this purpose. In its admission brochure, Sachdeva Public School, however, has said that children, who have turned three but have not crossed the four-year age limit, would be entitled for admission in nursery, said the petition filed through advocate Ashok Agarwal.

The plea had said the clause was not in conformity with a Department of Education notification which fixed three years as lower age for admission, but categorically barred schools from fixing any upper age cap.

‘The Recognised Schools (Admission Procedure for pre-primary class) order 2007 which is still in operation categorically explains that the ages stipulated for entry into standard I, pre-primary classes and pre-school classes are the minimum age and there is no bar to children older than the ages specified in this clause being given admission to these classes,’ said the petition.

‘Issue any appropriate writ, order or direction declaring the clause 5 of admission criteria arbitrary and illegal and struck down the same,’ the petition had said.
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