In a landmark decision, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that students under the age of six who have completed their pre-school education can be admitted to Class 1 for the academic session 2024-25. The ruling came after a division bench comprising Chief Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice Satyen Vaidya reviewed a public interest litigation (PIL) led by Monika Sharma and others.
The PIL highlighted that despite having completed their pre-school curriculum, children who were below six years as of September 30, 2024, were initially denied entry into Class 1. This decision comes in the context of the state government’s 2023 directive, which set six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admissions starting from the 2024-25 academic year, with a one-time age relaxation allowed until September 30.
The court’s order aligns with the phased implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to make education more inclusive and accessible. According to the advocates representing the petitioners, this adjustment will impact approximately 50,000 young learners across Himachal Pradesh, allowing them to progress to formal schooling without delay.
The advocates also argued that requiring children who have completed Upper Kindergarten to repeat the year could hinder their intellectual and psychological growth and impose additional financial burdens on families, given the rising costs of education.
