Kendriya Vidyalaya admissions in revised guidelines, MP quota scrapped

The Union government has scrapped the quota through which members of Parliament (MPs) could recommend names for admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV), according to the admission guidelines for 2022-23 and beyond.

The “special provisions” for granting admissions to children of education ministry employees, children and dependent grandchildren of MPs and serving or retired KV employees, discretionary quota of school management committee chairman among others have also been removed.

An official of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, an autonomous body under the education ministry which runs these schools, said that the revised guidelines have been issued following a review of the special provisions for admissions.

Through the MPs’ quota, each MP could recommend 10 students for admission in classes 1 to 9 at the beginning of each academic year. Under the rules, the 10 names would have to be confined to children whose parents belong to the constituency of the recommending MP.

The MPs — 543 in Lok Sabha and 245 in Rajya Sabha — could collectively recommend up to 7,880 admissions per year under the quota which was introduced in 1975 as a special dispensation scheme. It was withdrawn at least twice in the past, only to be restored.

According to official data, in 2018-19, 8,164 admissions were made under the MPs’ quota, overshooting the cap, and 7,301 in 2021-22.

Previously, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had stopped admissions through the discretionary quota meant for education ministers. In 2019-20 and 2020-21, there were 9,411 and 12,295 admissions respectively in this category.

The special provisions that have been retained include admissions for children of recipients of Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra; recipients of the National Bravery Award; 15 children of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) employees; children orphaned due to Covid-19; children of central government employees who died in harness; children who have shown special talent in fine arts.

Around 14,35,562 students are enrolled in 1,248 KVs across the country. The admissions made under the special provisions are over and above the designated class strength.