Despite NEP, Delhi schools to continue to admit students under six in Class 1

Officials further said that no decision has been taken on when the Department of Education (DoE) will start implementing the NEP 2020 guidelines.

Meanwhile, schools in Delhi have expressed concerns such as space constraints, commercial aspects, need for additional teaching staff, and financial burden on parents with regard to implementing the NEP 2020 recommendations for admitting students in Nursery, KG and Class 1 this academic session. (Express file photo)

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Schools in Delhi this year will continue to admit students below the age of six in Class 1 as opposed to the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) recommendations to raise the minimum age of students for the grade to six years.

Senior officials at the Directorate of Education (DoE) Sunday told The Indian Express: “This year, Delhi will continue to follow its existing guidelines in accordance with DSEAR 1973 which is below 6 years.”

Officials further said that no decision has been taken on when the DoE will start implementing the NEP 2020 guidelines.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Minakshi Kushwaha, Principal of Birla Niketan, Pushp Vihar, said, “We have not received any specific guidelines from the government to follow the new NEP system which suggests three years of pre-schooling before a student can go to Class 1. Moreover, it will need time, money and permission from MCD etc to expand the schools infrastructurally to accommodate more students due to an increase in class sections. For now, it is the status quo.”

According to Suruchi Gandhi, Principal of Bal Bharati School: “Implementing the NEP 2020 guidelines which says that students should spend three years in pre-school before being admitted to Class 1 is not that simple. We need to take into account several aspects like space constraints; if there are going to be more sections, there are going to be more students too. The government will have to address how public schools can be provided with more space. Secondly, how will parents react to this change? Apart from the financial burden which will increase, parents will also wonder why they should have to put their child through the burden of an extra year of school.”

She further said, “Right now, we are prepared for two years of pre-school as usual…We have set aside a few rooms for additional classes and have been providing our teachers NEP training.”

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A principal of a Delhi school, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We would need more teaching staff, would need to raise their pay, which would be difficult as the government has allowed very minimal fee hike in the past years for public schools.”

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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