These have not made life simpler. By rewarding points to children of alumni, some elite schools screen out parents who did not go to such schools themselves. Most parents still go through the grind of applying to 10 schools and more to secure the best for their children. According to a 2011 survey by Credit Suisse, Indians spend more on education than Russians, Chinese or Brazilians. But in a status-conscious Delhi, the admission race is not only about education.

Here, the name of your child’s school is as important as your residential address and the brand of your car in determining who you are. So out of Delhi’s 3,000-odd private schools, only about 100 are in real demand. With no mechanism in place to ensure basic academic and infrastructural standards in schools, parents quickly avoid options that are not ‘’established’’ yet. As far as the ‘’established’’ schools go, Delhi has not added many to its traditional list because no concessional land has been allotted to schools since 2003.

Those schools, which were granted plots earlier, did not follow the mandate of providing seats for poor children. So the government stopped doling out land altogether. In the last 10 year, most new schools came up in Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad, resulting in a skewed supply in Delhi. Regulating the admission process is necessary. But as long as schools, both government and private. Are allowed to operate without meeting basic standards, the great. Nursery rush will not ease in Delhi. Elite brands are in demand everywhere and will always be. But parents should also have the option to trust neighbourhood schools.
(Via HT)