With the decision on 25% reservation for underprivileged students in all schools, including private and unaided ones, pending in the Supreme Court, city schools are finding it difficult to keep seats vacant.
Most schools have completed the admission process. Some have managed to keep 10% seats vacant, in case the order comes out before the session begins. This would be the third consecutive year, when this clause under theRight to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, may not be implemented.
The state government too has not come up with a resolution directing schools to keep 25% seats reserved for students from the economically backward section as the court order is pending. An official from the school education department said the state will be able to issue guidelines only when the judgment is out. Schools, however, have filled up most of the seats. "We had planned to keep 25% seats vacant but there was pressure from parents to fill them up. I was forced to release 15% seats this month. We have a waiting list for the remaining 10% seats, which will be filled up by April 10, in case the order is not passed," said Rohan Bhatt, principal of one of the three schools run by Children’s Academy in the western suburbs.
Campion School in Colaba too has closed admissions for the coming session. "We have managed to keep around 10-15 % vacant seats," said principal Paul Machado. Christ Church School in Byculla has managed to keep a few seats vacant in all the classes. Principal Carl Laurie said, "If the government forces us to take students at the last moment, we will have to. We have taken precautions." Principal of Wadala’s Bansidhar Aggarwal High School Ramakant Pandey said, "Admission forms are usually out before January and the process is completed by February-end . It is not possible to implement the clause for the coming session."