The afternoon system for Indian schools is "unlikely" to be approved by the relevant authorities, the Indian embassy on Thursday said, advising those affected by the unsuccessful initiative to make alternative arrangements.

Some Indian schools had announced the launch of the afternoon shift from the 2019-20 academic year and provided the shift details.

However, the schools later said the decision had been put on hold until further confirmation from the education authorities in Qatar.

Thursday, the Indian embassy tweeted that "it is unlikely that approval will be accorded by the concerned authorities for Indian schools in Qatar to start afternoon shifts".

"Please make alternative arrangements and do not continue to wait, in the hope that it will be approved," it added.

Earlier this year, and as reported in the local media, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education allowed private schools, especially community schools, to run two shifts provided they complied with its directives.

Accordingly, some Indian schools said they would launch afternoon classes from the 2019-20 academic year and gave details of the new shift system as well as the admission and registration process.

As Indian schools were finding it difficult to cope with the growing demand for seats, this came as a boon for many in the largest expatriate community in the country.

The decision to start a second shift was also welcomed by parents who had been finding it difficult to get admission for their children in schools with affordable fees, according to a Gulf Times report.

However, the schools later said they had put the process on hold and were awaiting further instructions from the authorities.

Registration and admission tests were cancelled, putting parents, who had banked on the new system, in a quandary.

Students who had left the schools they were studying in for institutions that offered them seats on the strength of the new two-shift system found themselves "stranded" as the latter were unable to accommodate them and the former refusing to take them back on the argument that the seats have already been allotted to those on the waiting list.

Unofficial estimates say hundreds of Indian students are waiting for admission in schools, particularly in the "affordable" category of educational institutions.

Related Story