Delhi HC seeks govt reply on plea against 6-year age rule for Class 1 admission

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a reply from the Delhi Government on a petition opposing the recent rule that sets six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission starting next academic year.

 Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay issued a notice to the government

 The petition challenges a June 2025 circular issued by the Delhi Government introducing a revised pre-school system and new age criteria. The admission process for the upcoming session is set to begin in December. A bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay issued a notice to the government and asked for its response. After the government’s counsel requested more time, the court scheduled the next hearing for November 26. Advocate Vaibhav Sharma appeared for the petitioner, Deepika Sharma.

 The plea argued that the revised structure requires children to complete three stages of pre-school — Pre-school 1, Pre-school 2, and Pre-school 3 — before entering Class 1. Earlier, the pattern included only Nursery and Kindergarten. The petitioner claimed this change would create difficulties for parents and students by adding another year of schooling and making direct Class 1 admissions harder due to fewer seats.

 The plea also said the policy would raise financial pressure on families, as an additional pre-school year means higher expenses. It added that ongoing students might have to repeat a level, disturbing the existing academic cycle. The petitioner requested that the rule be enforced only for new admissions from 2026–27 onward and suggested setting the minimum nursery age at four years, with gradual adjustments for higher levels.

 Highlighting the economic aspect, the plea stated that private schools charge nearly ₹60,000 per quarter — around ₹2.4 lakh a year — which would increase the burden on parents if another pre-school year becomes compulsory.

 CBSE uniform age policy 

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) sets a uniform age policy for admissions across all its affiliated schools in India and abroad. In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, CBSE mandates that children meet the prescribed minimum age for each class to maintain consistency nationwide.

As per the current guidelines:

• Pre-nursery: 2+ years

• Nursery: 3+ years

• Junior KG: 4+ years

• Senior KG: 5+ years

• Class 1: Minimum 6 years