NEW DELHI: HRD minister Smriti Irani recommended over 5,000 requests for admission to the Central government-run Kendriya Vidyalaya chain of schools in the current academic year, a more than four-fold jump from quota levels of her predecessors.Of the admissions recommended by the minister, some 3,000 were finally effected after the others apparently opted out on some account or the other.“The minister recommended about 5,100 admissions at KV schools in 2015-16. The same was reported at the KVS board meeting and was noted,” an official who attended the October 30 meeting confirmed to ET. As minister, Irani officiates as chairperson of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, the New Delhi-based apex administrative authority for the 1,000 schools.The KVS administration is said to be looking into why only 3,000 of the 5,000-odd admissions recommended by the minister materialised. The HRD ministry did not respond to emailed queries on the matter.At the October meeting, the KVS board of governors decided to increase the admission quota for MPs to 10 per year from six. This will enable almost 7,900 seats to be filled through MP quotas alone from the next academic session.KVs, which cater to the schooling needs of children of transferable Central government employees, admit about 1.5 lakh new students every academic year, with about 1 lakh of them into class I. The HRD minister’s office has always been inundated with admission requests.Smriti Irani’s admission recommendation bonanza is undermining the PM’s promise of striking at the roots of corruption. Her action only serves to promote a culture of patronage. Irani could well argue that she was trying to ensure more children from disadvantaged backgrounds find a place in the Kendriya Vidyalayas. But for that she should set up a system that will enable the most disadvantaged the same opportunity as their more affluent counterparts. Without a proper system, all we have is ad hocism, something India can do less of, not more.