According to the National Education Policy 2020, children in the age group of 3-6 are not covered in the 10+2 structure as Class 1 begins at age 6.
School Admission 2024-25: The Centre has released an important notice to all the states and the Union Territories to align the age of admission as per the provision contained in the National Education Policy(NEP) 2020 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education(RTE) Act, 2009 and ensure admission to Class 1 at the age of 6+ year.
Sharing a post on X(formally Twitter), the Ministry of Education wrote, “Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, in a letter dated 15.02.2024, with reference to D.O. letter No. 9-2/20- IS-3 dated 31.03.2021 followed by D.O. letter of even number dated 09.02.2023, requested all states/UTs to ensure that the age of admission to Grade 1 is 6+ years from the 2024-25 session onwards. This is as per the provisions in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.”
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The 2024-2025 academic session is expected to begin soon, heralding the commencement of new admissions. As the academic year of 2024-2025 approaches, preparations for the commencement of a new session are underway, heralding the arrival of students and the excitement of new beginnings.
“It is expected that the age in your State/UT has now been aligned to 6+ for admission to Grade-I, accordingly,” the ministry in a letter said.
National Education Policy 2020
According to the National Education Policy 2020, children in the age group of 3-6 are not covered in the 10+2 structure as Class 1 begins at age 6. In the new 5+3+3+4 structure, a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from age 3 is also included, which is aimed at promoting better overall learning, development, and well-being.
“The curricular and pedagogical structure of school education will be reconfigured to make it responsive and relevant to the developmental needs and interests of learners at different stages of their development, corresponding to the age ranges of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years, respectively. The curricular and pedagogical structure and the curricular framework for school education will therefore be guided by a 5+3+3+4 design, consisting of the Foundational Stage (in two parts, that is, 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-school + 2 years in primary school in Grades 1-2; both together covering ages 3-8), Preparatory Stage (Grades 3-5, covering ages 8-11), Middle Stage (Grades 6-8, covering ages 11-14), and Secondary Stage (Grades 9-12 in two phases, i.e., 9 and 10 in the first and 11 and 12 in the second, covering ages 14-18),” reads the National Education Policy pdf published on Ministry of Education website.