For State schools it is 5 years and 10 months, says BEO

Mysuru: The 2020-21 academic year has already begun and several city schools are issuing physical application forms. However, like in the previous years, this year too, there seems to be a confusion regarding the minimum age of admission.

School managements and teachers have the responsibility of dealing with the confusion at their school levels, thanks to contradictory notifications issued by the Government.

As per a notification issued by Karnataka Department of Public Instructions (DPI), children above five years and five months shall be admitted to Class 1 but several schools are denying admission forms to children below five years and 10 months citing a DPI notification of June 2019. In that notification, the DPI has stated that this academic (2019) year, five years and 10 months is the minimum age for admission. 

Interestingly, in 2018, the DPI had reduced the age of children for admission to the first standard and had stated that the age criterion for admission to Class 1 is five years and five months. This applied to all schools under Karnataka State Board — Government, aided, unaided or private.  

To avoid disadvantage to children who are admitted to nursery classes even before completing three years and 10 months, the DPI had taken the decision in 2018 to reduce the age for admission to Class 1 to five years and five months. 

Now again, the DPI has fixed the minimum age of admission at five years and 10 months, leading to confusion. 

Concerned parents, who are eager to admit children to schools, have said that schools are insisting that they (parents) provide proof that their child has attained the age of five years and ten months to avail the application forms. Even school managements are confused due to the conflicting orders and they want the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to come out with a clear-cut circular before the start of the admission for the new academic year and clear the confusion. 

Dr. L. Savitha, Principal of Kautilya Vidyalaya said that in CBSE, five years and five months has been fixed as the minimum age for admission. But in the State Board, it is five years and 10 months. “Every year there is confusion and the DPI must clarify on conflicting notifications by issuing a fresh notification,” she said and stressed on the need to have a uniform admission age criterion to avoid problem for students. 

Block Education Officer of Mysuru North Shivakumar has clarified that the minimum age for admission to Class 1 (State Board) is five years and 10 months.