The Karnataka state government issued an order relaxing the admission age for class I from 6 years to 5 years and 5 months for the academic year 2025-26, following appeals from parents.

The order of the department of school education and literacy states that children who are five years and five months old on June 1, 2025 and have completed UKG or equivalent level are eligible to enroll in class I in state-board affiliated schools.

Earlier in 2022, the state government had issued an order that only children above six years can be admitted into class I. The department, however, had made an exemption for the academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25. The order was to be effective from the 2025-26 academic year starting June.

However, just as the admission season commenced, parents petitioned the education minister seeking his intervention to allow children aged five or above to seek admission into class I.

Private schools’ management representatives have expressed dismay over the state government’s flip-flop on the admission age issue, specially since the National Education Policy 2020 and the Right to Education Act, 2009 mandate 6+ years as the uniform entry age for class I. Moreover, they argue that there has been a lack of clarity on whether the new rule is applicable to schools affiliated with CBSE, CISCE or international boards.

Shashi Kumar

Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Private Schools in Karnataka said: “There are discrepancies even in the admission of students for the previous year. Some schools have made admissions illegally. Irrespective of the board, all students studying in Karnataka’s schools must follow a uniform admission age. The government’s Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) data entry has already been locked to six years as the minimum entry age for class I. It will be unfair if an exemption is made only for CBSE and ICSE schools in the state. Their boards themselves have recommended the minimum admission age as 6. It is explicitly stated that the rules of their respective states will apply. Another challenge is the accommodation of students who have repeated LKG and UKG classes to meet the age limit. How will you deliver justice to them now? The government has now legalized unauthorized admissions while those who followed the rules are being punished.”

However, Lokesh T, president, Karnataka Registered Unaided Private Schools Association welcomed the order. “We welcome this order. It will help students who would otherwise have to repeat one year in UKG. Specially with regard to children in rural India, it would be beneficial as it would keep them away from child labour.”