NEW DELHI , India ( CNN ) -- There was stone cold silence in the car , as the Kumars drove home . Salwan Montessori School in New Delhi received 2,500 applications -- for 150 spots -- for the 2009 school year . The married couple had stopped speaking out of sheer frustration and disappointment . They had been rejected for the 10th time . Their three-year-old daughter , Janhavi , would not be attending any of the nursery schools to which they had applied . `` There 's been a ban on children interviews , '' said the girl 's mother , Geeta Kumar . `` But the schools being very smart , acting very smart they want to meet parents informally , informal interaction they are calling and they are scoring on us . '' `` We are being tested , '' Puneet Kumar , Janhavi 's father , interrupted . `` Yeah we 're being tested for our child 's admission . '' Geeta added . `` It 's the worst thing we 've been through , '' Puneet said with a sigh . It may sound over dramatic but it is a sentiment held by many parents who suffer through sleepless nights , endless anxiety , and are sometimes reduced to tears , as they try to get their children admitted to nursery schools with good reputations . At one of these schools , the headmistress has seen more than her share of desperation . `` I 've never seen a man crying , until now , '' said Anuadha Mathur , the headmistress of Salwan Montessori School . Watch a visit to one of New Delhi 's most exclusive nursery schools » . `` But when a parent comes and he 's literally begging and saying , 'Ma'am where do I take my child , ' and he 's got tears in his eyes , he 's shivering . Believe me , it 's heartbreaking . '' `` The thing is , everybody wants their child to be in the best school , '' Geeta Kumar said . `` And there are very few . '' The problem is particularly acute in the capital of New Delhi , where getting your child admitted to any one of the top 10 sought-after nursery schools is harder than it would be for a college-aged student to gain admission to Ivy League schools in the United States , such as Harvard or Yale . Why ? In India it is almost always about the numbers . There are a billion people in this country , and more and more of them are moving into urban areas trying to make a living -- which translates into more students trying to get a seat in schools that already have long waiting lists . Take , for example , Salwan Montessori School in New Delhi . They received 2,500 applications -- for 150 spots -- for the 2009 school year . Only 6 percent of those who applied got in , and Salwan is not the most sought-after school . Some schools have places for less than 4 percent of applicants . Compare that to the Harvard University class of 2009 : . Of the 22,796 students who applied , 2,074 got in for a 9.1 percent admission rate . You might be wondering why nursery school admission is so important since the child will have a lot of schooling to go through before thinking about university . The answer : Many students spend 14 years in one school , so where they go to nursery school determines the next 14 years of their education . What kind of education does one of these sought after schools offer ? At Salwan Montessori , the children learn public speaking , music , several sports , and social skills along with their basic education . It is just the kind of thing parents are looking for because they know education is key to their child 's chance at a better life . But there are other institutions that are not so cramped : Government schools . Just the mention of it sent shivers down the Kumars ' spines . `` The grooming would not be good , the child wo n't grow , the mind wo n't grow , '' Geeta Kumar said with a deep frown , her husband itching to chime in . `` Nearest school to my place is a government school , but the infrastructure is very bad , '' Puneet Kumar added . Parents complain some of the government schools are falling apart . The toilets are broken , there is no running water , and teachers sometimes simply fail to show up for class . The fight for good education is fierce . But Salwan Montessori Headmistress Mathur said parents need to realize that just because they do not get the school of their choice does not mean their child will be unsuccessful . She also noted that not all government schools were unfit . For the meantime , the Kumars are still tied in knots . Their daughter Janhavi was forced to go to a lesser known private school in their neighborhood . Now four years old , Janhavi seems oblivious to it all . She is a smart little girl . Before even showing up at school she could speak Hindi , some English and Japanese . As she sits on her bed counting to 10 in Japanese , her parents are counting the months before the next admission process starts . They are planning on going through the process all over again next year . `` Obviously , '' Geeta Kumar said . `` You aim for the best . ''
More Indians migrate to urban areas , hence longer waiting lists for nursery schools . Some schools have seats for less than 4 % of applicants . A nursery school is 14 years of a student 's education , opportunities . Parents prefer private schools , complain some government schools are falling apart .