Overview
- Officials said Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry and Chhattisgarh are yet to adopt the six-year minimum for Grade 1 admissions.
- The latest letter follows earlier directives issued in 2023 and a reiterated notice on February 15, 2024, ahead of the upcoming academic session.
- Thirty States and Union Territories have aligned their norms to require children to be six years old to start Class 1, according to officials and media reports.
- The Union government cites NEP 2020 and the RTE Act as the basis for the shift from the earlier five-year threshold and underscores nationwide uniformity for student mobility.
- A senior official said these six jurisdictions still admit at age five, while Chhattisgarh has indicated it will comply soon; separately, the Supreme Court recently told Tamil Nadu to consult the Centre on establishing JNVs.