Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to set six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission starting from the academic year 2026-27. The state took this step in compliance with the central government’s directive.

Currently, five-year-old children are admitted to the first standard. This practice will continue in the upcoming academic year (2025-26).

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Education Minister V Sivankutty stated that 52 per cent of new admissions in Class 1 are six-year-old children.

The requirement that a child must have completed six years of age for admission to Class 1 is a recommendation under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The central government had asked states to implement this recommendation in March 2021 and again in February 2023.

In February 2024, the central government issued a fresh directive to states and union territories, instructing them to revise the age limit for Class 1 admission in accordance with the education policy.