Age limit eased in govt. schools to counter drop in admissions

BENGALURU: The state government has decided to relax the age limit of children seeking admission to Class 1 in state-run schools by five months.

In a revised order, applicable only for this year, the department of education stated that children who have completed five years and five months are eligible for admission. Earlier, only children who had completed five years and 10 months could get admission in Class 1.

The decision was taken following a drop in admissions in government schools. If successful, the move will be replicated next year also.

But private school representatives have criticised the move, saying it will cause confusion. “The drop in admissions in government schools is not because of age limit or absence of nursery classes. It is because of quality issues in state-run schools,” said D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka.

A private school representative asked, “Why was the revised order issued after completion of seat allotments under Right to Education quota. There have been instances where children missed a seat simply due to difference of one day from the prescribed age limit.”