The Karnataka government has once again relaxed the age criteria for students enrolling in Class 1 for the academic year 2025-26. According to the announcement, the age criteria have been relaxed to six years. This move comes in response to requests from parents.
5. 5- year- old students can apply for Class 1 admission this year
With this, students who are 5. 5 years old and have completed UKG or an equivalent qualification can enrol in Class 1 this year in the state.
Age must be at least 6 years for Class 1 admission
From next year, students must be 6 years old by June for enrollment in Class 1. This decision is based on the recommendation of the State Education Policy Committee. This applies to all state syllabus schools, according to information shared by Education Minister Madhu Banarappa.
While announcing the decision on Wednesday, Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa stated that this relaxation will not be granted next year, and the minimum age of 6 years would be strictly enforced.
In June 2022, the state government passed an order stipulating the minimum age for Class 1 admission as 6 years, in accordance with the National Education Policy - 2020 and the Right to Education. Following this, protests erupted from parents and schools as admissions for that academic year had already been completed. Due to anxiety among parents, the government deferred the implementation of the norm by two years, with enforcement originally set for 2025-26. However, this year, there were further demands from parents to ease the age criteria, which led the state government to issue an order relaxing the age limit for the upcoming academic year on Wednesday.
Who is eligible for Karnataka Class 1 admission?
According to the order, students who have completed UKG and are 5 years and 5 months old, as well as children who have spent three years in Anganwadi and are 5 years and 5 months old, can be enrolled in Class 1. According to government rules, the maximum age limit for children to enroll in Class 1 is 8 years. These rules will apply to all government, aided, and private schools in the state affiliated with Central Board schools, including Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
