The Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education has once again urged all states and Union Territories to follow the National Education Policy’s recommendation to set the minimum age for admission to Class 1 at six years.
The department has sent a letter to the state governments and UT administrations, reminding them of the directions that were previously issued multiple times since the NEP’s launch in 2020.
As per a response provided by the Centre in the Lok Sabha in March 2022, there is a wide variation in the age criteria for admission to Class 1 among different states. Fourteen states and Union Territories allow admission to Class 1 for children who have not yet turned six years old.
For example, in Assam, Gujarat, Puducherry, Telangana, and Ladakh, children who have completed five years of age can be admitted to Class 1. In Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Kerala, the minimum age is five plus.
On February 9th, the Centre sent a new communication to states and Union Territories about the minimum age for admission to Class 1. The Centre has previously pointed out that not adhering to the minimum age specified in the National Education Policy has been affecting the calculation of net enrolment ratios in various states.
The Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on March 28, 2022 that not following the minimum age for admission to Class 1 as per the National Education Policy leads to inaccurate reporting of enrolment of children in age-appropriate classes. This results in incorrect reporting of underage and overage children, which affects net enrolment ratios at the state and national level. It also creates problems for students who want to move between states or take various competitive exams.
The Centre had earlier requested states and Union Territories to prepare a roadmap for a smooth transition towards the new minimum age criteria over the next two-three years. However, there has been little progress made on this front. As a result, the Centre has once again approached state governments on the matter.
The National Education Policy 2020 outlines a 5+3+3+4 school system. The first five years of this system consist of three years of pre-school for children aged three to six years, followed by two years of Classes 1 and 2 for children aged six to eight years.
In 2022, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, a central government education body, increased the minimum age for admission to Class 1 to six years. The decision was challenged in the Delhi High Court and later in the Supreme Court, but ultimately upheld.
The Right to Education Act 2009 does not include a provision for the minimum age of admission to Class 1. It only mandates free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6-14 years in a neighborhood school till the completion of elementary education, which is defined as education from the first class to the eighth under the Act. Due to this absence of explicit provision, many are hesitant to adopt the new minimum age criteria for Class 1 admission.
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