The Madans are one of the innumerable parents in the Capital who have failed to secure their child a pre-primary seat this year. As many as 11 schools have rejected their applications.

Their four-year-old son Alankrit is no different from any other child, but he was born with a congenital heart disease. After an operation three years ago, “the hole in his heart” was sealed, explains Vandana, but he is still highly susceptible to infection.

“Every 15 days he would be on antibiotics. But now we give him homoeopathic medicine, and he is doing well,” says Rajnish. Alankrit requires a general check-up every six months and an annual scan of his heart.

Due to his condition, he can’t go to just any school and since the schools where his parents applied to did not give him a seat, the family is in a fix. In the “special needs” section on the admission forms, the Madans wrote their son’s medical condition: “He is a normal child but needs hygienic surroundings and the school must be closer home.”

Both Vandana and Rajnish studied in Delhi, but they opted against the schools they went to — Frank Anthony Public School and Bhatnagar International. While one doesn’t offer CBSE the other is too far from their house.

They have a daughter too, but since she studies in an all-girls school, Alankrit cannot take advantage of extra points for the sibling criterion. Having applied to all neighbourhood schools, Vandana has no idea what to do next. “I am calling the schools every other day, but to no avail.”

Last week, she lodged a complaint with the nursery grievances cell, set up by the Education department in each of its districts when the admission process started in December. “The Deputy Director of Education did not meet me. A secretary asked me why I didn’t consider government schools,” says Vandana.

She has reservations against sending her son to a government school “because Alankrit needs to have his surroundings hygienic, which I can’t find there”.

For the last two years, Alankrit has been going to a local playschool. As other parents are busy making preparations for their child’s first day in school, the Madans are anxious about their son’s future. “We don’t blame the schools which are following their set admissions criteria,” Rajnish asks. “But what should we do?”

Anita Setia, Deputy Director of Education, South district, says a special committee looks into each complaint they receive at the grievances cell. “If there is a complaint that someone got more points than another but failed to get admission, we make inquiries,” she says. “But we can’t do anything if the school has followed its criteria in a transparent manner,” she adds.

“There are still schools where pre-primary seats are available, but parents are chasing the same few high-profile schools,” Setia says.