The Maharashtra government has set new age criteria for children seeking admissions to nursery, junior and senior kindergarten and class I admissions for the academic year 2022-23. The government resolution (GR) issued (March 3) sets a new upper and lower limit to the admission age criteria keeping in mind the current school admission cut-off date of December 31. 

According to the latest GR, with the new cut-off  date (December 31) coming into force in academic year 2022-23, children born in the months July to November faced difficulties in gaining admissions. The administration received parents’ complaints about schools refusing pre-primary and class I admissions to students not meeting the exact government dictated minimum age criteria.

Aiming to clear the confusion amongst schools and parents about admission eligibility, the latest GR gives both the minimum lower and the maximum upper age limits to each of the classes. Schools are also allowed an additional 30 days period beyond the maximum age criteria while admitting the child. (See box).

The latest GR clarifies, children born between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 can take admission to nursery since they complete the minimum 3 years as of December 31, 2022. The child’s maximum age for admissions to nursery can be 4.5 years until the December 31 cut-off.

Children born between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 can be admitted to junior KG since they complete 4 years by December 2022. The child can be a maximum of 5.5 years old to be admitted.

Since children born between July 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017 would have completed five years by December 2022, they would be eligible for senior KG admissions. The child’s maximum age for the admission can be 6.5 years until the December 31 cut-off.

Similarly, children born between July 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 can be admitted to class I since they meet the minimum age eligibility of six years as on December 2022 as per the RTE’s age mandate. Schools and parents can admit children to class I until they are 7.5 years old.

The new ‘rectified’ version was also issued to resolve the confusion created by the department’s earlier February 28 GR wherein the column displaying ‘maximum’ ages was erroneously mentioned as ‘minimum’ ages.  The new GR is applicable to all children seeking new admissions as well as those taking admissions under the Right to Free & compulsory Education (aka RTE) Act, 2009.

“We have brought flexibility to the admission process as well as ensured that even those children born between July and November are not discriminated against. Now with the upper and lower limit spelled out clearly, it is up to the parents to decide which class will be suitable for their child. We have also ensured that schools cannot refuse admissions citing unclear age criteria as an excuse,” says Dinkar Temkar, director, primary education, Government of Maharashtra.  

Also read: Maharashtra: GR issued to clarify age criteria to nursery admissions