Maharashtra fixes minimum age for nursery to Class 1 admissions, phased in from 2027-28
The school education department has issued a GR setting minimum ages for pre-primary to Class 1 entry in line with NEP 2020, with the age counted as on June 30.
Images are not validated/verified
The state government has made a major change to school admission rules. Minimum ages have now been fixed for admission from pre-primary to Class 1. The decision follows the provisions of the National Education Policy 2020, and the school education department has issued a Government Resolution (GR) on the matter.
The new rules will be implemented in phases from the academic year 2027-28. The age requirement must be met by June 30, meaning the child must have completed the required age by that date.
Until now, the age for Class 1 admission was reckoned by different cut-off dates in State Board schools as well as in schools following the CBSE, ICSE and IB curricula. There was no fixed age requirement at all for pre-primary classes. The Central government has asked that a child be above six years of age for Class 1 admission. The state government has set these norms on that basis.
Under the new rule, the requirement of three completed years for admission to Balvatika-1, or nursery, will apply from 2027-28. The requirement of four completed years for Balvatika-2, or junior KG, will apply from 2028-29. The requirement of five completed years for Balvatika-3, or senior KG, will apply from 2029-30. The requirement of six completed years for Class 1 admission will apply from 2030-31.
The new age requirements will not apply to children currently studying from nursery to Class 1 in the academic year 2026-27. Regular students who have passed the previous class at any recognised school are also exempt from the age requirement when seeking admission to the next higher class.
In addition, the head of the school will be able to grant a relaxation of 15 days in the minimum and maximum age for admissions from nursery to Class 1. The instructions of the National Education Policy 2020 will have to be followed for enrolment in foundational classes and for admissions from nursery to Class 1.
Admission notices and guidelines based on the new age limits will be issued by the Director of Education (Primary), Directorate of Primary Education, Pune. The rules will bring uniformity to the admission process in all schools in the state.
