Nagpur: Parents in Maharashtra will have to plan their children’s school admissions according to a revised age-based schedule, with the State Government making six years the minimum age for admission to Class 1 from the 2030-31 academic year.
The School Education Department has issued a Government Resolution (GR) introducing the new admission criteria in phases, beginning with nursery admissions in 2027-28. The move seeks to establish a uniform age structure for pre-primary and primary education across schools affiliated with different education boards.
Under the revised rules, children must complete the prescribed minimum age by June 30 of the respective academic year. The government said differences in age cut-off dates followed by schools affiliated with the Maharashtra State Board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) had created inconsistencies in admission requirements.
Four-year transition to new age norms
The revised admission framework will be introduced gradually over four academic years, covering nursery, Junior Kindergarten (KG), Senior KG and Class 1.
The schedule is as follows:
- 2027-28: Minimum age of three years for Nursery or Balvatika-1.
- 2028-29: Minimum age of four years for Junior KG or Balvatika-2.
- 2029-30: Minimum age of five years for Senior KG or Balvatika-3.
- 2030-31: Minimum age of six years for Class 1.
The June 30 cut-off will determine whether a child meets the prescribed age requirement for admission in the relevant academic year.
NEP 2020 alignment behind the move
The State Government said the revised framework would bring greater uniformity to school admissions and align the state’s admission policy with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The GR also refers to communication from the Centre emphasising that children should be more than six years old for admission to Class 1.
The absence of a common minimum age for pre-primary classes had also contributed to differences in admission practices among schools. The phased implementation is intended to provide parents and educational institutions with time to adjust to the new requirements.
Existing students to remain unaffected
The revised age criteria will apply to new admissions, while children already enrolled from nursery to Class 1 during the 2026-27 academic year will remain exempt from the changes.
Students who have passed the previous class from a recognised school will also be exempt from the revised age requirements when seeking admission to the next higher class, according to the GR.
To address individual admission-related circumstances, school heads have been authorised to grant a relaxation of 15 days in the minimum and maximum age limits for admissions from nursery to Class 1.
The Directorate of Primary Education, Pune, will issue further instructions and guidelines for implementing the revised norms.
The phased rollout means that parents planning admissions over the next four years will need to check their children’s dates of birth against the applicable academic-year criteria, particularly as the state moves towards making six years the minimum age for entry into Class 1.
