RAS question
From the academic year 2026-27, what is the new minimum age for Class 1 admission in Rajasthan government schools?
Correct answer: (C) 5 years.
From the 2026-27 academic year, the minimum age for Class 1 admission in Rajasthan government schools is 5 years.
Explanation
Rajasthan reduced the Class 1 admission age in government schools from 6 years to 5 years for the 2026-27 session, effective with the April 1, 2026 start of the academic year. The cited report says the state education department made the change ahead of the new session after the previous six-year rule kept children aged five, and those above five but below six, out of Class 1. The shift also brings government-school admissions closer to private-school practice because the government-school session is being moved from July to April. The policy logic is enrolment: the earlier age bar contributed to declining enrolment, and the department now wants 5-to-6-year-old children, including those in anganwadi centres, to enter formal schooling from the beginning.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 4 years is below the revised threshold; the reported change lowers the age only to 5 years, not to a pre-primary age.
- (B) 6 years was the earlier minimum age for Class 1 admission, and Rajasthan reduced it for the new academic session.
- (D) 5.5 years does not match the announced rule, which sets the minimum at 5 years for Class 1 admission.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan social-sector policy, especially education access and enrolment measures. It recurs in RAS because small rule changes in school admission, session timing and gross enrolment are common current-affairs inputs for economy and welfare questions.