Maharashtra School Education Department announced on September 16, 2020 that class V will now be included under the primary section. In the state the primary sections were earlier deemed to include only classes I to IV.

A notification issued by the state government stated that class V should be attached to primary schools which currently operate classes I to IV. For schools located in the districts, the order will be implemented under the supervision of the Zilla Parishad CEO, it added.

The inclusion of class V under primary section has been done to align with the provisions under the Right to Education Act, 2009, that mandates students should avail education from classes I to V in a school situated within a 1-km radius of their homes. As per the education system in the state, students of class V were a part of the secondary section till now and had to travel long distances to attend school. The move is also in alignment with the central government-run schools, such as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and Kendriya Vidyalaya among others, that operate from classes VI to XII.

The notification further mentioned, no financial burden should be added on the government while implementing the order.

Admission of students, who are enrolled in primary schools having class V, will be transferred to a school that is close to their residence and as per their preference. Private, unaided institutions, having class V, can transfer the entire class of students to the primary section run by the organisation or to another primary school in the vicinity.

In the first phase, primary schools which have the available infrastructure will start teaching class V students. Other schools have been asked to make provisions, either by making rooms available or by building new rooms on their premises. The notification added that teachers should be adjusted within the school or should be given employment in other schools.

Source: The Indian Express

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