Maharashtra fixes minimum age for nursery, KG, Class 1 admissions; new rules from 2027

Maharashtra will introduce six years as the minimum age for admission to Class 1 from the 2030-31 academic year. According to a government resolution (GR) issued by the School Education Department, children must meet the prescribed minimum age by June 30 of the relevant academic year. The revised age criteria will be implemented in phases, beginning with nursery admissions in 2027-28.

Under the new rules, children must be at least three years old to enter Nursery or Balvatika-1 from the 2027-28 academic year. The minimum age for admission to Junior KG or Balvatika-2 will be four years from 2028-29, while children must be at least five years old for Senior KG or Balvatika-3 from 2029-30.

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Maharashtra board, CBSE, ICSE schools to follow

The minimum age requirement of six years for Class 1 admission will take effect from the 2030-31 academic year, the government resolution added. The state government said different age cut-off dates were being followed for Class 1 admissions in schools affiliated with the Maharashtra state board, CBSE, ICSE and IB. It also noted that there was no uniform minimum age requirement for admission to pre-primary classes.

"The state has fixed the age criteria in accordance with the provisions of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Centre's communication that children should be more than six years old for admission to Class 1," the GR told PTI.

The revised age criteria will not apply to students already enrolled in nursery to Class 1 during the 2026-27 academic year. Students who have passed the previous class from a recognised school will also be exempt from the new age requirements when seeking admission to the next higher class.

The government resolution also allows school heads to grant a relaxation of 15 days in the minimum and maximum age limits for admissions from nursery to Class 1.

The Directorate of Primary Education in Pune will issue further instructions and guidelines for admissions under the revised age criteria, the GR said.

(With PTI Inputs)