Bhubaneswar- The Odisha government announced a revision to the enrolment age for class 1, setting it at 6+ years as of September 1st of the academic year. This change, effective from the 2025-26 academic year, aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department issued a notification on Monday detailing the change. This decision comes after the department announced the state's adoption of the NEP and the National Curriculum Frameworks on January 15th.

To prepare children for the revised class 1 enrolment age, the S&ME Department will open Shishu Vatika in all primary schools this academic year. These pre-school classes will cater to children aged 5-6 years.

The implementation of the NEP 2020 in Odisha will be phased, starting with the foundational stage (ages 3-8) in the 2025-26 academic year. The state will adopt the National Curriculum Framework Foundational Stage (NCF FS) with local contextualization. The NEP 2020 envisions a 5+3+3+4 structure for the first 15 years of education, dividing it into Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary stages. The Odisha government's initial focus is on implementing the foundational stage, which will include 3 years of pre-school and 2 years of Grades 1 and 2.

These changes follow the state government's formation of a high-level task force, led by the Development Commissioner, and a State Steering Committee, headed by Prof. Nityanand Pradhan, former Principal of RIE, Bhopal. The high-level task force and State Steering Committee were responsible for advising on the NEP 2020 implementation and developing the State Curriculum Frameworks, respectively.

A three-day National Workshop on the implementation of NEP 2020 in Odisha is scheduled from January 21st to 23rd.