New  Delhi :- The Centre has issued a notice to all states and Union Territories to fix six years as the minimum age for admission to Class 1, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

In a letter to the state governments and the Union Territory administrations, the Ministry of Education (MoE)’s Department of School Education and Literacy has reiterated its directions issued several times since the NEP was launched in 2020. A similar notice was issued last year too.

“The session 2024-25 is soon to begin when new admissions will take place. It is expected that the age in your State/UT has now been aligned to 6+ for admission to Grade-I, accordingly,” the ministry said in its letter dated February 15.

In March 2022, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha that 14 states and Union Territories — such as Assam, Gujarat, Puducherry, Telangana, Ladakh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Kerala — allow Class 1 admission for children who have not completed six years.

In the past, the Centre has said not aligning the minimum age with the NEP stipulation affects the measurement of net enrolment ratios in different states.

As per NEP 2020’s 5+3+3+4 school system, the first five years comprise three years of preschool corresponding to the age groups of three to six years and two years of Classes 1 and 2 corresponding to the age group of six to eight years.

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