Survey Report : Parents Opinion Towards Scrapping of Delhi Nursery Admissions for the Session 2021-22 (updated)

Update: 2nd Feb 2021

We have updated this blog today with the recent survey results.

42,571 parents participated in the survey and 66% of them feel that their child’s future will be impacted if the Nursery admissions are scrapped in Delhi compared to the 13th Jan 2021 results when 22,599 parents participated in the survey and 63% of them felt the same.

Nursery admissions are always a challenge especially in the majority of the private schools. With a minimum of 4 applicants to a single seat which can go up to over 140 applications per seat in some elite schools, even in normal years,  admissions are a nerve wrecking event. 

But like everything else in the pandemic year 2020, even that process in Delhi is under an administrative cloud. If newspaper reports are to be believed, the Delhi Government is contemplating on scrapping the admissions process for the 2021-22 session.

Allegations, complaints, and opinions are flying past. Even lawsuits are on regarding the cancellation or otherwise. Schools are worried about how they will handle two batches of students for the next academic sessions, students, who will be interacting with the outside world in such a formal environment for the first time. Teachers are worried about what will happen to them if nursery admissions are scrapped. What will happen to their paychecks? Their jobs? 

*The data presented in the survey is till February 02, 2021. The survey began on December 28, 2020 and is ongoing.

Educators have heavily and openly opposed this “decision” and our media has also had a field day with this announcement. But, amidst all this chaos, no one has wondered as to what is going on in the mind of parents, the biggest and the most crucial stakeholders of the system. Parents are anxious, confused, and most of all worried, since the nursery admission space in Delhi is highly competitive. Some parents have already taken admissions in private schools in Noida/Gurugram to ensure that their children have a seat this year. And this means double expenditure in case Delhi admissions happen soon in this year. And only a minority can afford to send their child to a school far away from home. For the rest of the lot, this is one decision that they are eagerly waiting for.

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UniApply conducted a survey to understand the mindset of the most important stakeholders of this decision: the parents. Within a month, 42,571 parents* voiced their opinion and the numbers tell you the rest of the story.

The Big Finding:
66% of parents polled, unequivocally say, the admission process must happen as soon as possible and if it is cancelled it would affect their child’s future. Add to that another 18% who are slightly unsure, nearly 3 out of 4 parents in Delhi seriously think the Government must not differ from the admission process. 

Reason 1:
Nearly half the parents who are opposed to the cancellation believe that their child’s foundational years will be impacted if the Delhi nursery admissions are scrapped. For a child who’s just turned 3, it is of utmost importance that they interact with the world around them. The environment in which the child is nurtured during these years sets the foundation for their physical and emotional well being as they grow up. 

Reason 2:
The next big reason is the FOMO syndrome. The fear of missing out. 1 out of 3 parents polled think that a deferral would put their child at a disadvantage vis a vis other children in NCR, who will go to school soon. Say, a child who is in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, might have a playschool friend in Indirapuram. The Indirapuram kid would move to nursery, while the other one would have to wait until next year. That, to nearly half the parents, is unacceptable.

Reason 3:
The third big reason parents cite is the impossibility of replicating a school routine at home. This is more relevant when both the parents are working.  Children learn a lot when they are young, they are conditioned to understand what a routine is, social interactions, and much more. Even if it is online, they do get up in the morning, pretend to go to school, sit before the machine, and interact. There are schedules, activities, and even online games. Though a poor substitute for face to face learning, they still learn something – is the parent’s argument. Scrapping would kill that opportunity. 

Reason 4:
Nearly 32% of the parents did also feel that losing a year would mean the creation of a learning gap in their children, though many of them could not quantify the same when probed further. Some did agree that it is not insurmountable but felt the cancellation is an unnecessary burden. 

The Sibling Advantage:
One big issue many parents flagged was the sibling advantage. Assuming the household has two children one followed another. The child who gets admitted in the nursery this year will automatically move to KG next year, the second child will get admission in the nursery in the same school, because of the sibling quota. In case the process is scrapped it will be a double whammy next year for such parents.

Check HereLatest School Admission Dates in Delhi 2022-23

What is the other side?
About 16% (6,811 parents)  of the polled universe (42,571) did say the cancellation may not affect their child that much. Only half of them gave reasons to justify their opinion. The biggest issue for these parents (59%) is that in these trying times, they would not be forced to expose their child to the outside world. Their other reason is cost savings, and a good percentage ( 27%) of them felt open-ended free online programmes could also serve the purpose. 

What next?
Parents are confused as to what will happen next year – in which class will their child be admitted to? A child has to be less than 4 years old to be admitted in the nursery. What will happen to children who are 3 this year and will turn 4? Will they be admitted to kindergarten? If yes, how will they cope up with the curriculum since there is a drastic difference between KG and nursery? If one goes by the majority opinion, cancelling the admission process may create more harm than good and unnecessarily add another burden on the parents. The Delhi Government needs to decide one way or the other. It is not right to leave the parents in a trishangu like situation!

Check Nursery Admission Information in other Popular Cities
Nursery Admission in GurgaonNursery Admission in NoidaNursery Admission in Faridabad
Nursery Admission in Greater NoidaNursery Admission in GhaziabadNursery Admission in Mumbai 2021-22
Nursery Admission in Pune 2021-22Nursery Admission in Thane 2021-22Nursery Admission in Nashik 2021-22

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