‘We will not lower the Class 1 admission age’

NAGPUR: Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde on Wednesday rejected a proposal to lower the minimum age for admission to Class I from six to five years. Replying to a question raised by Dattatraya Sawant (teacher constituency), the minister pointed out that if the government lowers the admission age from six to five, it would hinder their childhoods.

“I know that there are some states where the admission age has been lowered in view of growing competition and persuasion from parents. But we are not lowering the admission age at any cost,” he said, adding that his own daughter was given admission in Class I only at the age of six. The move was in line with Right to Education (RTE) requirements, which mandate that all students in Class I must be at least six years of age. To begin with, schools with a nursery or playgroup as an entry level will have to admit students who are three years old. They will be six by Class I, Tawde said.

To another question on basic amenities at government schools, Tawde said that the energy department should bear the expense of electricity supply at all state government schools.

He said the education department and rural development department would jointly work towards maintaining old school buildings, and informed that they would hold a meeting to discuss improvement of government schools across Maharashtra.