The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has urged the government to resolve the confusion regarding the rule that children must complete 6 years by June 1 to enrol for class 1 in the State.

In a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), K. Naganna Gowda, Chairperson of KSCPCR, said that from the academic year 2025-26, the department has taken steps to implement the rule . “This has caused concern among parents, and many parents are visiting the Commission every day and requesting us to take appropriate steps to relax the age criteria for the enrolment of class 1,” he said.

“As a result of admitting children to pre-KG (Kindergarten) as per the previous rules, this year, around 5 to 6 lakh students are facing difficulty in enrolling in Class 1 after completing UKG. Parents have requested to relax the age limit set for admitting children to Class 1 from the academic year of 2025-26,” stated the letter.

Earlier, the government had fixed only the minimum age limit for enrolment of school children as four years and maximum five years for LKG, UKG, and class 1.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act-2009 (RTE Act-2009) and the Rules, 2012, prescribes the age limit for enrolling a child to class 1 as having compulsorily completed six years as on June 1. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) has also mandated that the minimum age limit for admission to class 1 should be six years as on June 1.

Following the Union Education Ministry’s order, the DSEL made the rule mandatory from the 2023-24 academic year and issued an order on July 26, 2022, in this regard.

However, it created confusion and anxiety among parents, after which the Karnataka government gave a relaxation for two academic years. An amended order issued by DSEL on November 15, 2022, stating that the six-year age completion rule will be implemented from 2025-26 academic year.

According to this rule, the minimum age of a child to be enrolled for LKG is four years, UKG is five years, and class 1 is six years with effect from the academic year 2023-24. However, the DSEL is planning to implementing this rule from the academic year of 2025-26 in the state.