One parent (name withheld on request) said such moves on part of schools are “just to stand out” from the milling crowd and are of little help otherwise. He said the nursery admissions have turned into a battle for media attention and schools are “manipulating admission criteria to get attention”

Mahavir Academy has 130 nursery seats for the 2009-10 session, of which 84 are general category seats. But while the school has decided to give additional premium to parents who do not smoke or eat non-vegetarian fare, it has no way of finding out whether the parents are telling the truth.

Jain, who is also the chairman of the National Progressive Schools Conference, said the school management will take parents on their word. “We don’t want an undertaking or an affidavit,” he said. “We believe them.”

Points to chew on
* Salwan Montessori School will not let parents with more than two children apply
* Sri Ram School is giving 20 points to interaction with parents
* No points on neighbourhood in some schools — they say their transport system will take care of the distance factor
* Mahavir Senior Model School will give 5 points each to non-smokers, non-drinkers, and vegetarians