U.P. govt schools struggling to get students for class 1 because of 6 yrs age bar

The Uttar Pradesh basic education department’s decision making it mandatory that students enrolled in class 1 must be six years of age is adversely impacting enrolment in government primary schools across the state.

It is already third week of April, yet teachers are struggling to find kids this academic session because only last year they enrolled kids who were over five years and six months old.

“At a time when the education department is insisting on increasing enrolment in government schools, this kind of hard and fast rule by the department is a hurdle. Most teachers enrolled children between the age of five years and six months in class 1 last year. Hence they are not getting children who are at the age of 6,” said Devendra Kumar Srivastava, joint general secretary, Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shikshak Sangh.

Citing an example from primary school Bhiti in Bhagwatpur block of Prayagraj, he said, “Half of the April has gone and they have enrolled only 12 students against last year’s 25. It is a grim situation.”

Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president, UP Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, said, “Every government school in the state is facing this problem. Several teachers have been calling me to narrate their woes. It is high time the basic education department looked into the matter.”

When contacted, one senior education department official said they have to adhere to the Right to Education Act norm that mandates children above the age of six should be given admission in class 1. “We are hopeful that in the next academic session, things will improve,” an official said while pleading anonymity.

As per him, the RTE clearly says that children below six should not be enrolled under any circumstances from 2024-25 session. Instead, they must be admitted in Balvatika or Anganwadi schools. In the academic session 2024-25, children will be admitted to class 1 only after they turn six.