The Delhi government has announced a new policy that will establish a uniform admission age of 6 years for Class 1 across all government, government-aided, and recognized private schools from the academic year 2026-27. This decision aligns with the directives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, as outlined in a recent circular from the Directorate of Education (DoE).
Under the current framework, the foundational stage of education includes two classes: Nursery and Kindergarten (KG), with minimum admission ages set at 3, 4, and 5 years for Nursery, Lower KG, and Upper KG respectively. The new structure will adjust these age requirements, introducing a phased implementation starting next year.
According to the revised guidelines, the minimum and maximum ages for admission as of March 31 will be as follows: Nursery (Balvatika 1/Pre-School 1) will accept children aged 3 to 4 years; Lower KG (Balvatika 2/Pre-School 2) will cater to ages 4 to 5; Upper KG (Balvatika 3/Pre-School 3) will be for ages 5 to 6; and Class 1 will accept children aged 6 to 7 years. Additionally, school heads may grant a relaxation of up to one month for both the minimum and maximum age limits.
The circular clarifies that the new age criteria will not affect students enrolled in the current academic session of 2025-26. Students in Nursery, KG, and Class 1 during the 2025-26 academic year will progress to the next grade according to the existing structure in 2026-27. For the 2026-27 academic session, new admissions to KG will be available for children who are 4 years old as of March 31, 2026.
Furthermore, students transferring from recognized schools with a valid School Leaving Certificate (SLC) and marksheet will be exempt from the revised age criteria when seeking admission to the next higher class. The introduction of Lower KG and Upper KG will commence only in the 2027-28 academic year, with admissions based on the aforementioned age criteria.
All school heads have been instructed to inform parents about these changes effectively and to ensure compliance with the revised admission age parameters and student progression policies.
