50% extra seats after abolition of management quota: CM

The scrapping of management quota for nursery admissions in private schools has thrown open 50 per cent extra seats for the public, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, even as he asserted that the government had no intention of “interfering” in the daily affairs of schools.

The Chief Minister added the Delhi government would also “think” about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats next year. “The Delhi government has made school admissions totally transparent. Scrapping management quota, which were used to oblige recommendations of politicians, government functionaries and powerful people, has opened nearly 50 per cent extra seats for common man,” Kejriwal said at an interaction with parents seeking admission for their wards.

The government has “cut its own hands” in doing so as the admission process will now take place in a transparent manner without any recommendation, he said. 

“We are not going to benefit from it and the government and the Chief Minister have rather cut our hands, otherwise our volunteers would bring recommendations and we would be doling out seats for admissions,” he said.

Replying to complaints and suggestions of parents seeking admission for their children, Kejriwal said the management quota and 62 criteria for admissions were scrapped as they were not “reasonable, fair and transparent”.

“We believed in schools and allowed them to upload their admission criteria by December 31. But some of the schools betrayed our faith and reserved up to 75 per cent seats through these criteria and various quota like alumni and sibling quota,” he said. 

Kejriwal said admissions on 25 per cent seats under the EWS quota were also riddled with irregularities and the government has now made this process online. “They will have no better government than this if they want to do good things, but they will also not find a worse government if they indulge in irregularities,” the CM warned.

“Now, schools will not have their say in it. Those who will not follow the guidelines and rules will be decrecognised,” Kejriwal said, adding that his government had no intention of “interfering” in their day-to-day affairs.

“We will think about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year,” he said in reply to a suggestion by a parent. The government has decided to focus on education and health in 2016 and is working on it, the Chief Minister said, adding that policies should be framed in consultation with public, he said.

Deputy CM and Education Minister Manish Sisodia was also present at the event. He said: “There was tremendous pressure from different quarters, including private schools, to maintain the management quota. But we will not bow down to pressure.” 

The government has only “ordinary” powers to regulate schools and it needs to have more powers to issue directions and take action against them.

“We have included this power in the Delhi Education Act by amending it and sent for approval to the Centre so that the Delhi government and private schools in Delhi could work in a better way,” he said.

Alleging that several schools had turned themselves into “teaching shops” through management quota, Sisodia said the government was determined to stop them. “Management quotas were used as a window through which money was taken and recommendations by ministers, bureaucrats and police officials were met,” Sisodia said.

The schools are creating “confusion” over admission criteria and ending of management quota, but parents need not worry as the government was with them, Sisodia said. “The schools are doing this wilfully to scare the parents. But they do not need to worry as the government is with them to ensure transparency in admission,” he said.

He clarified that the government has accepted the demand of private schools for seats for children of teachers and members of management committees.