More than 3,000 children tried their luck in a lottery for admission to a total of 120 seats in kindergarten 1 (KG 1) and grade 1 at Abu Dhabi Indian School (Adis) on Saturday, according to their parents.

More than 2,000 parents gathered at the school on Saturday after 8am to participate in the lottery for 40 seats in KG 1, they said. Some parents put the number up to 3,000. They said more than 1,000 parents tried their luck for 80 seats in grade 1 at a lottery held at around 11am on Saturday.

However, the school authorities did not confirm these numbers as they refused to reveal the details of the lottery and admission process when Gulf News contacted.

“I cannot give you any details without the permission [from the management],” said Neeraj Bhargava, principal of Adis. However, a request to answer the queries with the permission of the management did not get any further response from him until press time.

The lottery system reflects the continued shortage of seats in Indian curriculum schools. However, almost all Indian parents having school-age children apply for admission at Adis, which is the most sought-after Indian curriculum school in Abu Dhabi for its affordable fee, quality education and location in the city. Most of the other schools are on the outskirts of the city

Although many new Indian curriculum schools have come up in the emirate in recent years, fees are too high to be afforded by a majority of middle-class parents. Instead of ‘accessibility’ [to seats] in the past, it is a problem of ‘affordability’ [of fees] now, many parents said.

However, the number of parents participating in the lottery has also come down over the years. “There used to be more than 5,000 parents in previous years,” a parent said.

Parents, whose children did not win the lottery, said they have to try schools in Musaffah. “Adis was first preference for my daughter’s KG 1 admission for its affordable fee and quality,” said James Dsouza, 45, a draughtsman from Mumbai. He said he submitted application at two other schools.

Anoop Abdul Rahim, 38, an engineer from Kerala, said he was residing just behind Adis, hence made an attempt for his daughter and son for grade 1 and KG 1, respectively. They have got admission in a school in Musaffah but they could save around two hours of morning preparation and travelling if they get admission in Adis, he said

source : gulfnews