Govt revises school admission policy, raises minimum age to six

The government has revised the admission policy for government secondary schools for the 2027 academic year, raising the minimum age for Class-1 admission from five to six years to bring it in line with the requirement for private schools.

The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education issued the revised policy on Thursday, nearly a month after publishing the original policy on 13 October, which had set the minimum age at five.

The change follows the issuance of a separate admission policy for private schools this Tuesday, setting the minimum age at six.

Under the revised policy, in accordance with the National Education Policy 2010, children must be at least six but under seven years old on 1 January of the academic year to qualify for Class-1 admission.

For the 2027 academic year, eligible children must have been born between 1 January and 31 December 2020.

Applicants must submit an attested copy of their online birth registration certificate with the admission form to verify their age.

Children with special needs, however, may receive an age relaxation of up to five years.