Controversy Over Minimum Age For School Admission Resolved In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The confusion over minimum age requirement for admission in schools in Odisha has been resolved by the state government.

The School and Mass Education department has clarified that children aged between 5 and 7 years are eligible for admission to Class-I as on March 31 of the respective calendar year.

Similarly, the age of a child should be between 3 and 5 years for admission to pre-primary classes, sources said.

As per the National Education Policy, the age for admission to Class I should be 6 years, while in Odisha schools it was 5 years. This year there was a confusion over age criterion, but the department has now given a clear picture.

While the National Education Policy has not been implemented in many states, different states have different age requirement for admission. Therefore, it has now been decided that the minimum age requirement for school admission in Odisha will be 5 years as before, sources added.