In a significant development, the Delhi High Court yesterday granted a "last opportunity" of four weeks to private schools in the capital to evolve a transparent and comprehensive policy and dispense with the practice of interviewing nursery students and their parents for admission. It also asked the respondents to refrain from causing stress to small children and their parents by going through elaborate interviews.

The division Bench consisting of Mr Justice Vijender Jain and Ms Justice Rekha Sharma directed the Association of Private Unaided Schools to report to the court with an alternative policy by February 28, 2006. The division bench observed that the matter was of urgency and maintained that it would not grant any further time to schools to come out with a policy. The division adjourned the matter for four weeks.

The Bench had earlier, on a PIL filed by advocate Ashok Agarwal, issued notices to the government and the management of private schools questioning the authority under which such interviews were being conducted in the Capital.

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