Parents seeking admissions for toddlers in Delhi schools had better brace themselves for some tough times ahead. On September 26, the Delhi High Court approved the government recommendation of just one year of pre-primary education. Children must now be four years old for Nursery and five years old in Class 1.

Currently children in Delhi follow the system of schooling prevalent in most of the world, like the US and the UK, where there are two years of pre-schooling before Class 1, which is when formal education begins. Abolishing a nursery class isn’t going to solve the admission crisis, or ease pressure on schools or parents. Delhi has approximately 2000 private schools, which receive an astounding 3000 plus applications per year, all competing for just 200 seats. There are simply not enough schools to cater to all the children living in the city. Unlike the West, where people can opt for state-run schools, government and MCD schools in Delhi have been a tragic failure and are not an option for urban parents.

The value of two years of pre-primary education should not be underestimated. Nursery education is mostly through visuals, story-telling and fun activities, the best way for a young child to up his learning curve. These two years of easy learning is part of the nurturing and confidence-building process, essential to produce imaginative, well-rounded students. The Indian education system is rigorous, and suicides by teenagers who can’t cope are alarmingly common. Must we now subject kids to additional pressure and formal learning at 5 when 6 is the norm in most progressive countries? The Court has maintained that schools that want to continue with two years of pre-primary schooling can do so, provided they hold fresh admissions at the KG level. So parents and schools will have to grapple with the stress of admission twice.

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