Many private schools and PU colleges in Karnataka start admission ahead of schedule

With four months left for the completion of the 2024-25 academic year and the government yet to issue an official schedule for admissions for the next academic year, many private schools and pre-university colleges in the State have already started admission for 2025-26 in violation of the prevailing rules.

With four months left for the completion of the 2024-25 academic year and the government yet to issue an official schedule for admissions for the next academic year, many private schools and pre-university colleges in the State have already started admission for 2025-26 in violation of the prevailing rules.

In fact, some elite private schools invited applications in September, 2024, and completed the admission process in November itself. Some have told parents to pay the fees for the next academic year by January 30, 2025.

Parents rue that negligence of the government and greed of private educational institutions every year result in admissions starting illegally ahead of the official schedule.

The academic year 2024-25 in Karnataka will end on April 10, after which the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) will issue an order regarding the enrolment of students for the academic year 2025-26. As norms, schools and colleges in the State should start the enrolment process only at this point.

However, it has been observed that this norm is often breached. Schools also announce on their websites the last date to pay the fee and other details blatantly. Some announced on their website that they will conduct an entrance exam for students in February.

“Private educational institutions are exploiting parents and children by starting the admission process ahead of schedule. Some wealthy parents are also responsible for this. Parents are paying a fat fee to enroll their children in schools before the due date. This will only create unhealthy competition among children. The government should immediately curb this trend,” urged Malathi, a parent in Jayanagar, Bengaluru.

With three months left for the completion of the class 10 exams, some prestigious private PU colleges too have already started admissions for the first PU. “Only a few seats are left, pay the advance fee and book seats for your children now,” said the website of one PU college. Those who pay the advance fee are registered in a separate record and the seats are confirmed.