- Children must be at least six years old to join Class 1 in Haryana from 2026-27
- The change follows Punjab and Haryana High Court directives and NEP 2020 guidelines
- Thirty states and UTs have updated entry rules; six have yet to implement the six-year rule
Children's age should be at atleast six years to join class 1 in the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year in Haryana. The move follows directives from the Punjab and Haryana High Court and aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This change ends the previous six-month age waiver and will affect parents in Gurgaon and other cities.
Currently six states and union territories-including Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala-have not yet implemented a six-year minimum age for Class 1. As per ANI report, 30 states and union territories have already modified their entry rules in line with the policy.
Some states have implemented the six-year rule. Delhi Directorate of Education said that from 2026 the age of entry in all schools will be six years. The entry age in Goa will be officially raised to six years under the Goa School Education Bill, 2026. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have also implemented the age of six, while Karnataka has adopted it in a phased manner with a cut-off of June 1.
Gujarat and Maharashtra have fully implemented the 6+ norms. Punjab has reorganized the pre-primary stages as per the new rules. Central schools, such as all Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, have imposed the six-year rule from the 2022-23 session.
In the case of Divisha Yadav vs State of Haryana, the High Court criticised the state for not aligning its manual with the National Education Policy (NEP) and directed it to update it. Now children who do not meet the age limit will be placed in pre-primary classes and will be included in Class 1 on completion of six years of age, so that they can study along with their classmates.
