As the new academic year commences for schools following Indian stream of studies, concerns over the lack of seats in schools have been raised by several parents. Despite all the Indian schools resuming the new academic year 2024-25 this week, there are a large number of parents knocking on the doors of schools, looking for admissions for their children.
This is in spite of the increase in the number of Indian schools as well as the huge surge in the number of seats available. Availability and affordability are still major issues for many when it comes to school admission for their children. While the situation was more or less similar in the previous years, this year in particular has seen the demand for admission shooting up. This is primarily attributed to the increasing number of families coming to the country. In addition, affordability is another concern as most of the newcomers are looking for admission in schools which are more 'affordable'.
A parent who recently brought his family to Qatar told Gulf Times that he has been approaching various schools for admission for his son and daughter for quite some time. “It has been a big issue for me for the last one month or so. Still I have not got admission for them though one school has informed me that they would consider my elder one. However, there is no word from any school for admission for my second child who is looking for admission in KG 2. So I have not applied yet for the TC from their school back in India.”
Another parent whose child is already studying in a school, is unable to find admission for his second child in the same school. He explained: “I had applied for admission well on time but still I have not got any positive response. When checked with the school, I was told that they would inform if there are vacancies. This is what is happening and I don’t know what to do.”
A family who recently came to Qatar is still on the lookout for the admission for their children. “Our problem is that we can’t afford high fees and we had approached many schools that charge 'reasonable' fees. Still, we have not been able to find any school and we are in a dilemma now. We may have to send the children back home if we are not able to get admission, “ said the father.
Though Gulf Times had approached several schools asking for their comments on the current situation regarding admission, we have not received any response.
However, one source from a leading school said that the demand for admission is so huge that they cannot cope with it. “The demand is such that we receive 10 times or even more applications against the prevailing number of seats. So this becomes a huge challenge for the school,” he added.
Representative file picture
