Odisha Government Sishu Vatikas 2025
Odisha Government Sishu Vatikas 2025
Odisha government sets age 6 as the minimum age for Class 1 enrollment, starting from the 2025-26 academic year. Additionally, ‘Shishu Vatika’ (preschools) will be established in all primary schools to offer pre-school education for children aged 5 to 6. This significant educational reform aims to strengthen early childhood education across the state.
Odisha government on Monday mandated that a child should be of at least six years of age to be admitted to Class I, from the new academic year.
Aligning the existing education system with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, the School and Mass Education department announced that from the new academic session of 2025-26, the age of a child for admission to Class I shall be six years as on September 1 of that academic year. The move is said to be aimed at improving academic outcomes.
This apart, the department has directed all primary schools to open ‘Sishu Vatikas’ from 2025-26 onwards, which will act as additional pre-school classes. Children in the age group of five to six years will be admitted to these Sishu Vatikas for pre-school education.
The state had recently announced implementation of NEP at school-level in a phased manner and in the new academic session, the education policy will be implemented for primary grades. A high-level panel has also been formed to look into the implementation. The education structure under NEP would be 5+3+3+4 instead of the existing 10+2 and it will have four stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
The foundational stage will be of five years wherein a child in the age group of three to six will study in pre-school or anganwadi. For Class I and II, the age group is six to eight.
Department officials said the motive behind beginning formal schooling at the age of six is to improve the foundational literacy and numeracy among children. While the existing education system has two years of pre-schooling, the NEP-2020 mandates three years of pre-school.
Till now, schools in the state admitted students aged five in Class I. While a child between three and five years of age can get admission in pre-primary, he or she can enter Class I if he or she is in the five to seven age group, as on March 31 of the calendar year.
“Currently, parents do not want to waste a year and put their children in school early for various reasons. So, there are children who are getting into Class I at the age of five or six. With three years of pre-schooling, the child would have already had some cognitive development which would help him or her learn and engage better,” a higher official said.
More than 20 states are now following the six years age rule for providing admission to Class I. The Kendriya Vidyalaya schools have already changed their policy and made the minimum age six instead of five years.
The NEP 2020 promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to Class II. Officials said this is possible with three years of quality preschool education for all children studying in anganwadis, government/government-aided, private and NGO-run pre-schools.
EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING
Foundational stage – 5 years
Pre-school age – 3 to 6
Class I admission age – 6
Every school to open Sishu Vatika
Sishu Vatika to admit children in 5-6 age group
