Gandhinagar: The Gujarat High Court on Monday issued a notice to the state government regarding petitions challenging its decision to enforce a mandatory six-year age rule for admission to Class 1 from the upcoming academic year.

A group of 55 parents from Vadodara reached HC seeking either a postponement of the rule’s implementation or an extension of the age limit until December 31, 2023. The petitioners claim that their children fall short of the age limit by one day to six months on June 1.

Citing examples of several states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP, etc., who have granted relaxation in the age limit, the lawyers of the parents argued that the Gujarat government should follow suit. Otherwise, nearly 300,000 children would have to spend an additional year in the pre-primary section.

The lawyers further contended that the state government has overlooked the fact that repeating a year would make these children over 18 years and six months old by the end of Class 12, rendering them ineligible for admission to the National Defence Academy, as the cut-off age for NDA is 18 years and seven months.

Refusing to grant a stay on the government’s decision, the court of Justice Sangeeta Vishen has issued notices to the state government, the secretary of the primary education department, the Vadodara district primary education officer, and relevant schools to respond on the matter by April 24. DeshGujarat

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