PANAJI
From the upcoming academic year 2026-27 beginning in June, children seeking admission to Class I in Goa will have to be at least six years old, following a key amendment to the state’s school education law. The change comes after the Goa Governor accorded assent to the Goa School Education Act (Amendment), 1984, which was passed by the Goa Legislative Assembly in January.
Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju on March 9 granted his assent to the amendment, which was notified on March 17. As per the amendment the minimum age for admission to Class I is increased to six years, aligning the State’s school admission norms with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Amendment has substituted Section 18 of the Goa School Education Act, 1984 so as to provide for enhancement of age for admission to standard I so as to be in consonance with the NEP 2020 and the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (Central Act 35 of 2009) wherein minimum age mentioned for admission to class I in recognized school is six years.
As per the amendment, a child who has not attained the age of six years on or before June 1 of the year in which admission is sought will not be eligible for admission to Class I or any equivalent class in a recognised school. The earlier age was 5 and a half years.
The amendment also lays down norms for students seeking admission for the first time to classes higher than Class I. It states that such a student will not be admitted if, after reducing the age by the number of years of normal school study between the class sought and Class I, the resultant age falls short of six years.
The requirement that a child must have completed six years of age for admission to Class 1 is a recommendation under the NEP 2020 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
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 from the academic year 2024-25 onwards.
