The Rawalpindi Education Department has introduced a revised age policy for admissions in government schools, raising concerns over a possible decline in student enrollment following a delayed admission schedule.
Private schools started admissions on January 15, while government institutions began the process on April 1 after a significant delay, with enrollment reportedly moving at a slow pace.
Under the new policy, specific minimum age requirements have been set for each class. For ECCE, the minimum age is 3 years, while Prep requires 4 years and Grade 1 requires 5 years. Similarly, higher classes have progressively increasing age limits, with Grade 10 requiring students to be at least 14 years old.
For middle and secondary levels, Grade 2 requires 6 years, Grade 3 requires 7, Grade 4 requires 8, Grade 5 requires 9, Grade 6 requires 10, Grade 7 requires 11, Grade 8 requires 12, and Grade 9 requires 13 years of age.
Officials further clarified that students must be at least 13 years old to register for Grade 9 board examinations. Parents have been advised to carefully follow the updated age schedule while applying for admissions in government schools.
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