Minimum age for class 1 admission relaxed for 2025-26, says Minister Madhu Bangarappa
Bengaluru, April 17: Karnataka's Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Wednesday announced that the state government has relaxed the minimum age requirement for admission to Class 1 for the academic year 2025-26, responding to repeated appeals from parents.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the minister stated that children who have completed 5 years and 5 months of age as of June 1, 2025, will be eligible for admission into Class 1 for this year. However, from the academic year 2026-27 onwards, the age criterion will return to the earlier requirement — that a child must have completed 6 years of age to enter Class 1.
Madhu Bangarappa clarified that despite the relaxation in age, children must have completed Upper Kindergarten (UKG) before being admitted to Class 1. “We are allowing this concession only for the current academic year, based on the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission and after considering the requests from parents,” he said.
The minister reiterated that the relaxation is temporary and aimed at ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting the academic plans of parents and schools. He added that the decision aligns with the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission, which has studied the matter and supported a phased implementation of the revised age criteria.
Parents across the state had earlier expressed concerns over the sudden enforcement of the 6-year age requirement, which they said would affect thousands of children already enrolled in pre-primary levels.
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BEST bus catches fire on Mumbai's Western Express Highway, all passengers safe
Mumbai (PTI): A bus operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) caught fire on the Western Express Highway in Mumbai's Kandivali area on Tuesday night, officials said.
Nobody was injured in the incident and all passengers were rescued safely, an official said.
"The blaze erupted in the CNG-run bus of the BEST near Sai Dham temple in Kandivali east. All passengers were safely evacuated and nobody was injured," he said.
Personnel of the police department and fire brigade were alerted, following which they rushed to the spot and launched a firefighting operation, he said.
As per the preliminary information, the fire started in the engine section of the vehicle.
Due to the incident, traffic on the Western Express Highway was disrupted for some time and vehicles were asked to use an alternative route, the official said.
