MUMBAI: The state government is altering the age to enter school. A child now, for admission to nursery in 2024/25 will need to be at least 3 years complete by the time s/he enters school.
While admissions have begun, the state is drawing up a policy to ensure that admission norms are in line with the NEP 2020 rules. Until now, a child in Maharashtra who completed 3 years by December was permitted to join nursery, so many children who were 2.5 years old also joined nursery. No longer now.
“We are working on a new age policy for admission. We will soon declare it and it will be applicable for the academic year 2024/25. Age criteria is being revised to 3 years by the time students enter school. The new policy is being drawn up in collaboration with women and child development ministry which handles the aanganwadis,” said Sharad Gosavi, state director, primary education.
Meanwhile, the Early Childhood Association has demanded that the state government alter the entry age for toddlers entering nursery.
The ECA has written to governor Ramesh Bais and asked him to intervene and ask the state government to declare three years as the minimum age for entering kindergarten. On the lines of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), the ECA members said that Maharashtra is among the only few states to not have altered the entry age because of which there are many children reaching grade 1 at the age of 5 or 5.2 years.
“Attending nursery before the age of 3 years will leave a deep negative impact on children in the long-term. Curricula designed for nursery are in line with well-researched developmental abilities of a 3-year old child. However, children younger than 3 may struggle to cope,” said ECA president Swati Popat Vats.
The present Maharashtra government resolution requires that the child should have completed three years by December 31. “But schools begin in April or June, and this means that children are 2.5 years when they begin nursery and 5.5 when they are in grade one,” she added.
“The entry age is getting younger. Kids who ought to be in playgroup are in nursery. There are examples around the world where kids join school at an older age and joining early is doing good to no one,” said Parveen Shaikh, principal, The Somaiya School. “There has to be an alignment between what the state says and what is recommended in the NEP. Older kids whose minds are more developed are more ready to be at a new place, understand the teacher, connect with what is being taught.”
Recently, Karnataka also altered the minimum age for entering school to 3 years. “On paper, it looks like a small period of 3-6 months, but in the life of a child that young, those few months can have a lifelong impact. Both the NEP and the RTE indicate the right admission age as 6 years for grades 1 and 3 years for preschool respectively,” added Vats.
Educationists explained that if a two-and-a-half year-old started nursery, the 6-month gap at that age matters in language, social development, emotional development, etc. “For example, 2.5-year-olds are able to use sentences of 2-3 words and say ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘me’. At three years, toddlers can usually use sentences of 3-5 words, or even more. At 2.5 they are not able to take turns, a required skill in preschool. By 3 toddlers start learning how to take turns when speaking, and have a short conversation with you,” said Vats.
While admissions have begun, the state is drawing up a policy to ensure that admission norms are in line with the NEP 2020 rules. Until now, a child in Maharashtra who completed 3 years by December was permitted to join nursery, so many children who were 2.5 years old also joined nursery. No longer now.
“We are working on a new age policy for admission. We will soon declare it and it will be applicable for the academic year 2024/25. Age criteria is being revised to 3 years by the time students enter school. The new policy is being drawn up in collaboration with women and child development ministry which handles the aanganwadis,” said Sharad Gosavi, state director, primary education.
Meanwhile, the Early Childhood Association has demanded that the state government alter the entry age for toddlers entering nursery.
The ECA has written to governor Ramesh Bais and asked him to intervene and ask the state government to declare three years as the minimum age for entering kindergarten. On the lines of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), the ECA members said that Maharashtra is among the only few states to not have altered the entry age because of which there are many children reaching grade 1 at the age of 5 or 5.2 years.
“Attending nursery before the age of 3 years will leave a deep negative impact on children in the long-term. Curricula designed for nursery are in line with well-researched developmental abilities of a 3-year old child. However, children younger than 3 may struggle to cope,” said ECA president Swati Popat Vats.
The present Maharashtra government resolution requires that the child should have completed three years by December 31. “But schools begin in April or June, and this means that children are 2.5 years when they begin nursery and 5.5 when they are in grade one,” she added.
“The entry age is getting younger. Kids who ought to be in playgroup are in nursery. There are examples around the world where kids join school at an older age and joining early is doing good to no one,” said Parveen Shaikh, principal, The Somaiya School. “There has to be an alignment between what the state says and what is recommended in the NEP. Older kids whose minds are more developed are more ready to be at a new place, understand the teacher, connect with what is being taught.”
Recently, Karnataka also altered the minimum age for entering school to 3 years. “On paper, it looks like a small period of 3-6 months, but in the life of a child that young, those few months can have a lifelong impact. Both the NEP and the RTE indicate the right admission age as 6 years for grades 1 and 3 years for preschool respectively,” added Vats.
Educationists explained that if a two-and-a-half year-old started nursery, the 6-month gap at that age matters in language, social development, emotional development, etc. “For example, 2.5-year-olds are able to use sentences of 2-3 words and say ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘me’. At three years, toddlers can usually use sentences of 3-5 words, or even more. At 2.5 they are not able to take turns, a required skill in preschool. By 3 toddlers start learning how to take turns when speaking, and have a short conversation with you,” said Vats.
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