So why should parents who have come from other state and are living in Delhi, or who are trying to get their first child admitted in the school, be penalised for something they cannot help?

"We had several discussions just over this point. I had said at some of the meetings that we are putting out a very elitist kind of a report and sifting out the not so highly educated and those with less professional qualifications. But then the conclusion was that since this particular committee was concerned with unaided private institutions only, it was okay to have this kind of thing," said Father Kunnunkal.

He added though that the committee had also provided for disadvantaged children. However, he said that there was still the question of how does one discriminate between whom to take and whom not to take and that the jury was still out on that.

What about the children who live in North Delhi. There are not many good schools in the vicinity there. Does that mean that they lose out on points?

Ameeta M Wattal said that she thought Delhi was not yet ready for a neighbourhood policy. "There are many big chunks of areas in Delhi where there are no so-called good quality schools. In that context, it is unfair for parents to be centered in those areas. After all, we are in a democracy and they have the right to choose a good quality school for their child."

She added that a sort of a false hope has been created by this neighbourhood policy that has made parents feel that if they are in the neighbourhood, then their child is going to get in.

"This is something that we have to look into seriously. If we are going to look into this committee later on in the year and see how we can better it, then we have to sift out the good points from others that do not make much sense in our setup," she said.

There are some parents who have complained that school authorities actually come into check whether parents actually reside in the same place as they have said they do in their forms. They have also said that the enrollment form has a long list of questions - some valid and other questionable.