EducationWorld organized a panel discussion to debate a recent controversy Karnataka’s rule mandating an age requirement for children to enter grade 1 in Karnataka. The Education department mandates that children must be at least six years old to start grade one.

 

While some experts think this will help with age-appropriate learning, others are worried over a fact that some children who have  finished UKG might have to repeat the year because schools won’t let them into grade 1 until they’re 6.

 

This issue sparked from an order issued by the state Department of School Education and Literacy in 2022. The department, however, had made an exemption for the academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25. The order is to be effective from the 2025-26 academic year starting this June.

 

The panel discussion was moderated by Reshma Ravishanker, special correspondent, Education World and saw the participation of D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Private Schools in Karnataka, who has been the voice of private unaided schools in Karnataka;  Vasudeva Sharma, executive director, Child Rights Trust and an active advocate for child rights and Sandhya Viswan, founder of EdDeed, an education platform and admin of the Bangalore Schools Facebook page, a platform of discussion for parents.