Dubai: Ministry of Education has ended the confusion regarding age criteria for KG1 admissions in Indian schools, which follow the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum.
A ministry notification to school principals yesterday clarified that they can revert to the age criteria set at three year plus for admissions to KG1.
Gulf News contacted the ministry but no one was available for a comment.
“The ministry had responded to the requests of made by the parents. They were the effected people,” said an Indian school principal.
“Finally the confusion is over. The ministry had also approved the admission list that was prepared based on the previous age limit of three years plus for KG1,” said another school principal who is contemplating of opening a new section due to high demand.
Parents who spoke to Gulf News also welcomed the decision by the ministry. They were of the opinion that the ministry has taken the decision in the interests of the pupils.
Earlier this year the ministry in a circular had revised the age criteria for KG1 admissions. The circular said a child should have completed four years as of July 31 to get admission in KG1 and that the child should have completed six years for grade 1 admission in schools whose academic year starts in April.
This caused confusion and debate among academicians and parents because the new age criteria did not apply for the Indian schools in the emirate of Dubai as they came under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The KHDA in its statement had clarified its stance on this issue by saying that schools can determine the minimum age limit for admissions depending on the curriculum they followed.
While the school principals were of the opinion that in India the age for KG1 admissions is set at three years and that of grade 1 at five years, the parents feared that their child will lose a year when they go for higher studies.
They also argued on the fact that if age four criteria for KG1 was enforced on CBSE schools in the UAE, the pupil will be completing grade 12 at the age of 18 while their counterparts in India will be doing so at the age of 17.
“I was worried over the new age criteria for KG1. I thought my daughter who has secured a seat for the academic year 2014-2015 will not be able to attend school. But now the school sent us an SMS confirming her admission. I am glad that the ministry has sorted out the confusion,” said Nitin Desai, a parent.
“I was not worried because my daughter who got admission to KG1 in a Sharjah-based Indian school is three years and eight months old. I did not receive any notification from the school cancelling her admission and read about the new age criteria and wondered on what basis was it being done,” said Madhusudhan Nair another parent.
