Abu Dhabi: Parents are suffering growing desperation amidst lack of sufficient seats in Indian schools in the city.
While the demand for Indian school seats has outstripped available seats in previous years too, new concerns are fuelled by the announcement that one of the schools may close down.
The decision of the school's management to close Sherwood Academy and Merryland Kindergarten, following the Indian curriculum, will affect nearly 3,000 students by 2013.
The three decade old schools, known for their strong academic focus, will close the Indian curriculum-following schools — under the management — by 2013.
Meanwhile, the management will continue to run its existing UK curriculum following school and also set up a new one, officials announced in a recent circular issued to parents.
Lower classes such as kindergarten and grade one have been suspended from this year as part of the phasing out of pupils, a school employee said.
Daunting task
This has left hundreds of parents, whose children studied in these classes, with the daunting task of finding an appropriate school for their children, with limited time and too few seats available.
The circular, issued last month, informs parents that the school is being closed in line with the Abu Dhabi Education Council's (Adec) calls (in 2009) to close all private schools on residential plots by 2013.
The Education Council, when contacted by Gulf News, refused to comment on the issue, saying it needs time to study the situation.
Money-minded
"I think the decision to close the school is purely money-minded.
"They charge CBSE students about Dh6,000 annually while IGCSE students pay about Dh15,000, which makes it more lucrative," Mohammad Mustafa, whose daughter studies at Sherwood, said.
"This harsh decision has put parents on the run with thousands queuing up against few seats.
"Some schools even keep their security guards to drive away the parents who seek admission," he said.
"I don't think Adec would insist that the school take such drastic measures like closing down at such short notice because it affects thousands of pupils," he added.
Parents called on Adec to urgently intervene in the crisis and devise a solution that could safeguard their children.
Gulf News previously reported that more than 2,500 pupils had applied for over 100 seats at the Abu Dhabi Indian School (Adis).
Adis principal V.K. Mathu said that they are helpless since the schools' capacity is full.
Approach: Parents seek Indian embassy's help
Several parents have approached the Indian diplomatic mission to help end the admission crisis.
"We are hoping that the embassy will help us resolve this matter... this is affecting hundreds of families", the father of a 6-year-old pupil said.
"If I do not manage to get admission to one of the very few good schools, then I hope to send my child to India," he said, adding that although it sounds far-fetched it is the only way to ensure a sound education.
Another parent, whose child attends a school that runs in a villa, said that she is worried the situation will worsen if more schools in villas will close by 2013.
