UP Board Issues Guidelines on Recording Students’ Date of Birth at School Admission
Prayagraj: The Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, Uttar Pradesh (UP Board) has issued instructions to schools regarding the recording and subsequent correction of students’ date of birth (DOB) in academic records.
The Board said it regularly receives cases through its regional offices seeking corrections in students’ dates of birth recorded in High School certificates and marksheets. In several cases, students submit verified transfer certificates from primary or upper-primary schools as evidence for DOB correction.
According to the Board, scrutiny of some such cases has revealed that certain students were reportedly admitted to school at an age below the prescribed admission age under the Right to Education Act, 2009.
The Board has also noted that school heads sometimes fail to mention the document on the basis of which a child's date of birth was recorded at the time of admission. This creates doubts regarding the authenticity of the records submitted later for DOB correction.
Class 1 Admission Age Set at Six Years
The UP Board has highlighted that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 prescribes six years as the age for admission to Class 1.
Since the date of birth mentioned in the High School certificate and marksheet is an important academic record, schools have been directed to follow the prescribed procedure carefully from the student's first admission.
Documents Prescribed for Recording Date of Birth
The Board has referred to provisions under Section 14 of the RTE Act and Rule 9 of the relevant 2011 Rules regarding proof of age.
Where a birth certificate is not available, schools may use one of the prescribed documents as evidence of the child's age, including:
- Hospital or Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) records
- Anganwadi records
- Village register relating to births and deaths
- Declaration of the child's age by the parent or guardian through an affidavit
Schools Asked to Record DOB Based on Valid Evidence
The UP Board has directed schools to ensure that the student's date of birth is recorded at the time of first admission on the basis of an appropriate prescribed record.
The instruction is intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of students' academic records and reduce discrepancies that may later lead to requests for date-of-birth corrections in Board certificates.
Key Points
- UP Board has issued guidelines on students' date of birth records.
- Class 1 admission age has been cited as six years under the RTE framework.
- Schools should verify DOB using the prescribed age-proof documents.
- Birth certificates should be used where available.
- In the absence of a birth certificate, specified hospital, Anganwadi, village-register or affidavit records may be considered.
- Schools should maintain a clear record of the document used to determine the student's DOB.
- The instructions aim to prevent discrepancies and fraudulent or unsupported DOB correction claims later.
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