Minimum age for school admissions in Kerala set at five

Ending ambiguity over the minimum age of children for school admission in the state, the general education department has clarified that children who turn 5 years before June 1 can be admitted.

Thiruvananthapuram: The minimum age for school admissions in the State is five according to the draft school manual of the State.

Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty released the draft school manual and the academic master plan prepared under the supervision of Director of General Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) here on Wednesday.

There had been confusion over the age of admission to schools in the State after Kendriya Vidyalayas set the minimum age requirement as six as per the National Education Policy. However, Kerala had been admitting students to Class 1 at five years. Mr. Sivankutty had then said the admission age would remain five this academic year. Now, the draft school manual stipulates that children who have not attained the age of five on June 1 cannot be admitted to Class 1.

For Classes 1 to 9, a relaxation of three months and for Class 10 that of six months can be allowed. Differently abled children can be admitted to school till the age of 18.

About promotions, the draft says students from Classes 1 to 8 can be promoted to the next class, while children in Class 9 can be promoted on the basis of annual examinations or the Save-a-Year examinations.

In a section on responsibilities, the draft calls upon teachers not to complain about students to their parents in a way that affects their confidence. Academic activities should be planned in a manner that these include differently abled students.

In tune with efforts to improve school infrastructure, the draft says toilet and urinal facilities should be in proportion to the number of students in a school. It also lays down in detail responsibilities of school PTA, class PTA, mother PTA, and school management committees. The committee has been tasked with ensuring that teachers do not engage in private tuition lessons, or other private academic activities. It has to monitor the functioning of the school, including the mid-day meal scheme, and prepare the school development project.

The draft plan has all details related to schools in a concise manner, be it school timings, timetable, and school calendar. Students’ rights and welfare, evaluations, extra-curricular activities, various school festivals, and aspect related to school infrastructure development are included in the manual.

Extensive discussions will be held on both the manual and the academic master plan so that ideas and suggestions can be incorporated into the final manual and master plan by the end of the month.

General Education Principal Secretary A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish was present. DGE Jeevan Babu K. and SCERT Director Jayaprakash R.K. presented the drafts.