Mumbai:
Sunday's Mumbai Marathon saw thousands of Mumbaikars running for a cause. At the same time, a few hundred parents started queuing up outside a school in Dadar in central Mumbai, preparing themselves for the long wait ahead. They were there to buy admission forms for their pre-schoolers, waiting outside the school gates, even though they knew that form selling would not begin before 10am on Monday morning. Many even preferred to sleep the night on the pavement outside.
The only thought on their minds - securing a seat for their toddler in the school of their choice.
Neha Thakur, a resident of Prabhadevi, said, "We came yesterday morning. We were asked to come back later. We took the token, waited till midnight and returned at 5 am to take our place in the queue." The token system started not by the school but by parents themselves to lighten their burden.
Vishakha, another anxious parent, didn't even have the option of leaving her three-year-old at home. "There is no one at home, so I had no choice but to bring him along," she said.
But the reality is that even though parents have been in line for a long time there is no guarantee of admissions. It only guarantees a form.
An average of eight lakh children queue up for pre-schools admissions in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai every year. Every year, the rush is equally desperate, the wait as anxious. Experts say the reason is that pre-school education even today continues to be fairly unregulated.
Swati Popat Vats, Director of Podar Pre-Schools explains, "There is no regulation. Pre-schools don't come under the Education Department, but under Women and Child Development department. This department has largely looked at nutrition. The guidelines were made some 18 years ago by the Ram Joshi Committee, and even those are not followed."
For example, some schools give admission on a first-come, first-serve basis with preference to children staying in the school neighbourhood, as per guidelines.
But many schools continue to put toddlers through a selection process, including interviews. Even the parents are interviewed, although this goes against the guidelines.
Swati adds, "I remember this one instance where a child was called in for an interview. All morning, the four-year-old was reminded by his parents to wish the principal when he entered the interview room. By the time the little one was called in late in the afternoon, he was nervous, tired and stressed out. He ended up saying 'Good morning, ma'am' to the male principal. The head of the school lost his temper and insulted the four-year-old in front of the entire panel. Can you imagine what it must have done to the emotional and mental state of that child?"
It's instances like these says Swati Popat Vats that stay with the child for a long time to come, hampering his development. And the long wait for admissions and the stress that follows, knowingly or unknowingly, can get passed on from parent to child.