RAIPUR: Children in Chhattisgarh will have to be at least six years old to secure admission to Class I from the next academic session, with the state govt introducing uniform age criteria for all govt, govt-aided and private schools in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The school education department has fixed April 1 as the cut-off date for determining eligibility for admission to pre-primary classes and Class I. School education secretary Kamalpreet Singh has issued directions to all district education officers to implement the revised norms.
Under the new policy, children seeking admission to Nursery (Balvatika-I) must be above three years and below four years of age as on April 1. The age for KG-I (Balvatika-II) has been fixed at above four years and below five years, while admission to KG-II (Balvatika-III) will be open to children above five years and below six years. For Class I, a child must be above six years and below seven years.
To avoid hardship for parents, the govt has provided a one-time relaxation of up to three months. Children who do not meet the prescribed age on April 1 but attain it by July 1 will also be eligible for admission to the respective class.
The revised norms will apply uniformly to admissions in govt, aided and private schools, including seats reserved under the 25% Right to Education (RTE) quota in private institutions.
However, the age criteria will not apply to children promoted directly from the pre-primary section of a recognised school to Class I. Their admission will continue to be based on the date of birth recorded in their transfer certificate, marksheet or scorecard.
The state govt said the move is aimed at strengthening foundational learning and bringing uniformity to the admission process in accordance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and guidelines issued by the Union ministry of education.
District education officers have been asked to ensure strict implementation of the new norms through block education officers, cluster coordinators and school heads, besides creating awareness among parents about the revised admission criteria.
