NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Education has instructed all the states and union territories to make the minimum age for admission in the class 1 as six years, according to the official.
Education Ministry officials said on Wednesday that according to the new National education policy (NEP), the basic stage of learning includes three years of pre-schooling for all children (ages three to eight) and then admission to classes I and II.
A senior education ministry official said, “This policy will ensure that children get education from pre-school to class II without any hindrance. This is possible only if children have three years of quality pre-school before enrolling in school.” Get education. They can be given this education in Anganwadis or centers run by government, government aided, private or NGOs.
He said, “The Ministry of Education has asked the states and union territories to coordinate the age and admission policy of children. According to this, the minimum age for admission in class I and above should be six years.”
According to a response furnished by the Centre in the Lok Sabha in March 2022, there are wide variations in the age criteria among states when it comes to admission to Class 1. There are 14 states and Union Territories that allow Class 1 admission for children who have not completed six years.
For instance, in Assam, Gujarat, Puducherry, Telangana and Ladakh, children who have turned five can get admitted to Class 1. In Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Kerala the minimum age is five plus.
The latest communication from the Centre to the states and UTs went out on February 9. On previous occasions, the Centre pointed out that not aligning the minimum age with the NEP stipulation was affecting the measurement of net enrolment ratios in different states.
