Telangana yet to decide on Class I age rule despite Centre’s six-year mandate

Uncertainty continues to prevail over the age criterion for Class I admissions in schools across Telangana, owing to the State government’s indecision on whether to continue the existing five-year minimum age requirement or adopt the Centre’s six-year mandate.

The Union Ministry of Education had recently issued a fresh reminder to the State government, instructing it to adhere to the six-year minimum age for class I.

While most of the States and UTs have already implemented this norm in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Telangana along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, are yet to fully transition.

Under the NEP 2020 framework, the Central government introduced a 5-3-3-4 education



structure, designating the first five years as the ‘Foundational Stage’, comprising three years of pre-primary education followed by Class I and II.

To align with this, the Centre mandated on February 9, 2023, that children must be at least six years old to enter class I. Currently, Telangana continues to follow the traditional 10-2-3 structure.

On its part, the Telangana Education Commission has already recommended that the government adopt the six-year threshold for Class I admission.

The Commission’s proposed roadmap suggests admitting children above three years into Nursery, those above four into LKG, above five years into UKG and those aged six or older into Class I. However, the State government has not taken a decision yet.