Mumbai: Applying for a seat at one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will be more affordable than applying for admission to nursery schools in the city which charge anything between Rs.1000 to Rs.2000 only for the admission form.

Kavita Sanghvi (name changed), a resident of Juhu explains, "We have applied to several schools in our area as admission is not guaranteed at any school. Therefore, the budget only for the admission forms comes up to Rs.4000."

While Podar International School charges a registration fee of Rs.2000 for accepting forms, ICSE schools such as Vibgyor, Goregaon, charge Rs.300 for admission forms and Rs.1000 as registration fee for submission of the form.

"Earlier, only IB schools used to charge so much for the admission forms. Now, ICSE schools have also joined the bandwagon. The high cost of application forms forces parents to select the State Board or Government schools", said Arundhati Chavan, President of PTA United Forum.

Podar International School Principal Vandana Lulla said, "The main reason is to deter applicants who are not genuine. Some parents apply to several schools and cancel it at the last minute."

Another cause for the cost of admission form, she said, is the high cost of printing of the brochures.

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