SC declines petition challenging HC order on admissions

New Delhi, Aug 11 (UNI) The Supreme Court today declined to entertain a petition challenging Delhi High Court order of May 10 directing unaided recognised private schools in Delhi not to call the children or their parents for interview at the time of admission to Lower KG and nursery classes.

A bench comprising Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice D K Jain told the petitioner to go to the High Court where the matter is already pending.

Earlier, counsel for petitioner, SRF foundation, Mukul Rohtagi contended before the court that the entire admission process had been stalled due to the impugned judgement of the High Court, which is violative of admission rules.

Counsel for the petitioner however, withdrews its petition when he found the court was not inclined to entertain the same.

The High Court had earlier banned the interviews on the ground that the interactive session conducted with the parents and children at the time of admission was some sort of grilling akin to job interview.

According to the petitioner, the aim of the session was not to test the academic skills of the young ones, but only to observe their basic age-appropriate skills. The interaction with parents is only to gauge their interest in education, development of their child and whether the parents accept the school's philosophy, values and roles in growth and grooming of their children.

The petitioner pleaded that the High Court has failed to appreciate the objective of the interactive session aimed at observing the family dynamics, parent and child ease and behaviour in a new environment.

About 4000 private unaided recognised schools in Delhi have been forced to put on hold the entire admission process for nursery and LKG classes.

The court dismissed the petition as withdrawn.

UNI AKS/SC AKJ AT BS1334