The Karnataka government has relaxed the age criteria for admissions to Class 1 for the current school year, giving in to the demands of parents whose children were admitted in violation of the rules.
Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa said that children who are five years and five months old and above will be promoted to Class 1. However, he made it clear that the relaxation was only for the 2025-26 academic year.
In accordance with the National Education Policy, the state government had issued a circular in November 2022 to all schools setting the minimum age for admission into Class 1 at six years from the academic year 2025-26. Children younger than six on June 1, 2025, would not be promoted to Class 1, as per NEP.
However, in the past few months, parents of young children across the state have been a worried lot as schools cited education department rules and said that children who did not meet the age criterion would have to repeat a year.
“Based on the recommendation of the State Education Policy Commission and the requests from parents, we have decided to give relaxation in age for admission to Class 1 only for the 2025-26 academic year,” Minister Madhu Bangarappa said on Wednesday.
However, the government’s decision has not gone down well with all stakeholders. The Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka criticised the move. D Shashi Kumar, the association’s general secretary, said the exemption was unfair to schools and parents who had adhered to the original guidelines.