May Flower School in Patna. Picture by J Prakash

Patna, March 4: School admissions are a stressful activity not only for students and their parents but also for the school authorities.

This year, with the implementation of the Right to Education Act — according to which 25 per cent of the seats have to be reserved for students from underprivileged background — has complicated matters for the school authorities.

Some have begun filling the reserved seats on the basis of random selection. Others are still waiting for instructions from the state government on how the act has to be implemented. Yet others are waiting for the Supreme Court decision on the matter. Some have even sought technical help and left the decision to a computer programme.

May Flower School authorities have closed admission for all classes.

“We have admitted students for the kindergarten class according to the provisions of the act. On February 27, we conducted a lottery in front of the parents. Those who were selected were admitted,” said S.N. Thakur, the principal of the school.

Thakur added that children for the reserved eight seats were also chosen through lottery.

Gyan Niketan has a computer software designed to classify the age, residential area and the bio-data of the parents.

Principal D.K. Mukherjee said: “On feeding in the relevant information to the software, it automatically shortlists the names of the children. The computer uses the random selection mode. We are also considering students from distant areas.”

Some schools like Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kankerbagh, were using the random selection only for the reserved seats. Admission forms for the school would be available till March 20, said principal R.K. Sinha.

Sources said the state government had not given any clear instructions about how the act has to be implemented.

There was also no instruction about how the students from underprivileged background would be provided with books, stationary and uniforms.