Parents of children who were on the admission list at Our Lady of Salvation High School in Dadar (W) were not allowed to complete the process as they had arrived a few minutes after 11 am
While it’s usually kids who are taught in schools, this educational establishment in Dadar reserved its lessons on the importance of punctuality for parents of admission-seeking children.
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Parents of children seeking admission at Our Lady of Salvation High School in Dadar (West) were in for a rude shock on Thursday, when the school refused to give admissions to their children. This, despite, the fact that their children had already appeared for an entrance test and their names featured on the list released by the school on Wednesday. 
Tough lesson: Many parents and children kept waiting outside the school till evening yesterday, but the authorities did not entertain them. Pic/Satyajit Desai
While school officials have refused to comment on the issue, parents said the officials were angry because some of them arrived 5-10 minutes late for the admissions process on Thursday.
The list put up by school authorities on Wednesday had asked the students and parents to reach the premises sharp at 11 am, and said that applications would be considered withdrawn for those who failed to show up on time.
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Parents, however, insisted that they were late by only a few minutes.
“I was under the impression that only parents had to be present on Thursday, since my daughter has already given the test and her name has appeared on the list. Once I realised my daughter also had to be present, I went back home to fetch her, but this time I reached around 11.10 am,” said Gautam Arya, father of one of the students.
Waiting game: Parents and students who arrived late were made to wait in the school premises till 4:30 pm, only to be told to come back on Friday morning, to speak to the senior school official.
He added that when he reached the school office at 11.10am, he was turned away, and asked to wait in the school lobby. “I thought I had missed my turn and assumed that they would call me after all other admissions were completed, but they didn’t.”
Parents and students who were turned away ended up waiting in the school premises till 4:30 pm, only to be told to come back on Friday morning, to speak to the senior school official. After a written test was conducted for students seeking admission to Std V, the school had pinned a list of 26 names to their notice board on Wednesday.
“We were told that the list would be put up at 9 am on Wednesday, but it was 11 am by the time they finally released it. If they weren’t punctual themselves, then why are they punishing us for being late by just a few minutes?” asked Ram Dubey, father of another child whose name was on the final list.
When some of the parents tried meeting the school administrator late in the evening, they were promptly turned away, being asked to return to the school premises on Friday morning at 8 am to try their luck. “We are all working professionals and most of us had to skip work for admissions on Thursday. We will have to do the same on Friday again,” added Dubey.
Exasperated, some parents also informed local activists about the issue on Thursday.
“I have personally tried to speak to the school administrator, but he refused to entertain these parents. These children might end up losing a year if this school refuses to give them admission,” said Sudarshan Mandlik, local leader and activist.
School authorities refused to comment on the issue. The school’s trust members refused to meet this mid-day reporter when she visited the school.
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