Parents make video pitches for nursery admissions

Aishwarya Rao's father has her posing for his phone camera to make an introductory video to secure a nursery seat in one of the city's prominent schools. The 3-year-old attended interviews in at least three schools but didn't make the cut because she did not speak in any of them. Her parents Pankaj Rao and Nirmala Rao, both techies, then decided to take up the offer of a neighbourhood school — one of the largest brands in the city — to upload a video showcasing their child's talents. "If she's not going to talk during the interview, this video might be our only chance," said Pankaj Rao.
During the 90-second video, Aishwarya, dressed in a colourful outfit, simply stared at the screen. The Raos turned the camera on themselves and spoke about her for a few seconds. "Admission to a big school will pave the way to the best secondary schools and universities," said Pankaj Rao. The Raos preparing her to identify colours, animals, birds, and say a few things about herself for the selection interview.
They aren't alone. Several parent-teacher groups told TOI that their members train their children for nursery admission interviews, despite education authorities saying it is a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. "They put undue pressure on children. They must be discontinued," said president of the Tamil Nadu Students Teachers Welfare Association S Arumainathan.
Yet, many private schools in city continue the practice under the guise of "interactions" or informal oral assessments. Sai Girish from K K Nagar, whose child has an admission to pre-nursery, said the school conducted informal tests to assess basic skills.
Some experts believe these basic interactions with the child and family are required. "Face-to-face interaction helps the family understand how the school works. The school authorities should see if the child lives closer to school, has siblings in the same school, or their health needs," said Chinmaya Vidyalayas deputy director P Vijayalakshmi. "Video interviews may not serve any purpose," she said.
Bhavanishankar Subramanian, senior principal at Lalaji Memorial Omega International School, agreed. "It's ok for the child to be silent in a nursery interview," he said.