Bengaluru, April 1, 2025 – A growing controversy is brewing in Karnataka’s education sector as private school associations vehemently oppose a state government proposal to relax the minimum age requirement for Class 1 admissions. The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), representing over 3,000 private institutions, has called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to maintain the current rule, which mandates that children must be at least six years old by June 1 of the academic year to enroll in Class 1. The debate has sparked widespread concern among educators, parents, and policymakers, highlighting tensions between educational standardization and parental demands.

The proposal to lower the age limit stems from mounting pressure from parents and child rights advocates, who argue that the strict six-year cutoff disadvantages children born later in the year and disrupts pre-primary education timelines. In a letter to the state’s Department of School Education and Literacy, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights recently urged a reconsideration of the rule, citing complaints from families affected by the policy shift introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The commission estimates that nearly five lakh children across the state could be impacted, with Bengaluru alone accounting for around 50,000 cases.

However, KAMS and other private school leaders argue that relaxing the age limit would unravel years of efforts to align Karnataka’s education system with national and international standards. “We’ve worked hard to comply with the Right to Education (RTE) Act and NEP guidelines,” said D. Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of KAMS, in a press conference on March 31. “A sudden change now would create chaos—students who were held back or re-admitted to meet the six-year rule would be unfairly penalized, and schools would face logistical nightmares.”

The current age criterion was fully enforced starting in the 2023-24 academic year, following a phased implementation that allowed temporary relaxations in 2021 and 2022. Private schools claim that altering it now would disrupt the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) and create discrepancies with the central government’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+), which tracks student data nationwide. “Over two lakh students from Karnataka enroll in CBSE and ICSE schools annually,” Kumar added. “A policy shift here would put them at a disadvantage when transitioning to other boards or states.”

The opposition from private schools has not gone unchallenged. Parents, rallied by groups like the Karnataka Private School and Colleges Parents’ Association, argue that the rigid age limit fails to account for children already in the pre-primary pipeline before the rule was strictly applied. “My daughter started preschool in 2022 under the old system,” said Swaminathan Subramanian, a Bengaluru parent. “Now she’s forced to repeat a year because of a policy announced midway. It’s not just about education—it’s a financial burden too.” Families point to the additional costs of an extra year of schooling, a concern echoed by child rights advocates who call for a two-year grace period to ease the transition.

The state government, caught between these opposing forces, has yet to issue a final decision. School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa hinted last week that a notification could be forthcoming within days, but officials remain tight-lipped about its direction. “We’re reviewing all perspectives,” said Dr. K.V. Trilok Chandra, Commissioner of the Department of School Education and Literacy. “No conclusion has been reached, but we’re committed to balancing fairness with educational integrity.”

Critics of the private schools’ stance allege that some institutions, particularly those with political or influential backing, have historically flouted age norms and are now using their opposition to protect vested interests. KAMS has dismissed these claims, accusing unauthorized pre-primary schools of misleading parents by admitting underage students and later pressuring the government for exemptions.

The debate has broader implications beyond Karnataka. As states across India grapple with implementing NEP 2020, the clash over admission age highlights the challenges of standardizing education in a diverse nation. Private schools warn that a precedent set here could ripple through other regions, potentially undermining efforts to ensure age-appropriate learning readiness. Meanwhile, parents and advocates argue that flexibility is essential to accommodate individual circumstances and prevent educational setbacks.

As the April 1 deadline for many school admission processes looms, all eyes are on the Karnataka government. Will it uphold the six-year rule championed by private schools, or bow to parental demands for relaxation? For now, the standoff continues, leaving families, educators, and students in limbo as the new academic year approaches.

  Admission Age Relaxation