Align Class 1 admission age to 6+ years: Education ministry to states, UTs

NEW DELHI: The department of school education and literacy, ministry of education has directed all state governments and administrations of Union Territories to align the age of admission to Class 1 at the age of 6+ years.

The states and UTS have also been advised to initiate the process of designing and running a two years diploma in preschool education (DPSE) course in their state and UTs. The course is expected to be designed by the state council of educational research and training (SCERT) and run or implemented through the district institute of education and training (DIETs) under the supervision and hold of SCERTs.

The National Education Policy 2020 recommends strengthening of learning of children at the ‘foundational stage’ as a national priority for the country. The foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children between 3 and 8 years that includes three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary Class 1 and Class 2.

The policy, the ministry statement reiterated, promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to Class 2. This can only be done by ensuring accessibility to three years of quality preschool education for all children studying in anganwadis or government, government-aided, private and NGO run preschool centers, it added.

Besides, the most important factor at the foundational stage, the statement added, is the availability of qualified teachers who are specially trained in the age and developmentally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on February 20 has launched the 'Learning-Teaching Material for Foundational Stage (Jaadui Pitara)'. The initiative will help achieve a broad range of curriculum goals of the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-SS) 2022.