‘I want to go to first standard with my friends’: Bengaluru parents fear age rule will shatter kids’ self-esteem

What is the price of being born just a few days “too late”? For many parents in Bengaluru and Karnataka, it is the devastating realisation that their child’s academic progress could hit a wall due to the age-eligibility criteria for Class 1 admissions in the 2026-27 academic year. Speaking to HT.com, parents expressed their deep anxiety over the emotional toll this is taking on their little ones. Beyond the staggering financial burden, with some having already poured up to ₹10 lakh into pre-schooling, lies a more fragile cost: a child’s self-esteem. Parents fear that forcing a successful UKG graduate back into the same seat will turn curiosity into resentment.As per the state’s rule, a child must be six years old June 1 of the academic year to qualify for admission to Class 1. (Representative image). (Unsplash)HT.com spoke with concerned parents primarily based in Bengaluru. Notably, the group’s reach extends further, drawing in concerned families from across Karnataka.What does the rule say?The rule says that a child must be six years old June 1 of the academic year to qualify for admission to Class 1.What are the parents petitioning for?Many parents have expressed that their kids are missing the age limit a few months or days. They are requesting that the Karnataka government implement a 90-day relaxation period, which would effectively permit kids who turn 6 August 1 to get admission to Class 1.“My daughter is in UKG currently and her date of birth is 2nd of June 2020. So she’s missing the cut-off 1 day,” Bengaluru mom Dhanush Nagaraj told HT.com. Talking about what the parents are requesting, she said, “So basically we are concerned parents representing children across Karnataka who are affected the cutoff criteria for the Class 1 admission.”Adding to the conversation, Ram, whose kid is missing the criteria 34 days, said, “So, this is an issue which is closer to our heart and all of us are parents with no political inclination or anything. We have just come for our kids and are working towards it.”He continued, “So last year itself, we were trying for it. Our expectation was that the exing kids in the system would be allowed to pass through, considering the uncertainties and fluid structure that was in place. But unfortunately, last year’s exception was only for that batch.”Emotional toll on the kidsFor the parents, the greatest concern is not just a lost year, but a shattered sense of self-esteem for their young children. These parents told HT.com that children at this age are acutely aware of their social circles; they have spent years growing up alongside friends, and the prospect of being “left behind” while their peers move into the “big school” is a genuine source of terror for them.Ram recalled a moment his daughter came back home crying. He told HT.com that she kept on saying, “I want to go to first standard with my friends.”Parents are struggling to find the words to explain why a child who successfully mastered the UKG curriculum and hit every developmental milestone is being forced to repeat a grade simply because they were born a few days after a deadline.They fear that when these children see their friends in new uniforms and new classrooms, they will internalise it as a personal failure, leading to a deep-seated resentment that could make them refuse to return to school altogether.Swati Verma, whose kid was born on June 15, told HT.com, “You know they have different school buses till UKG standard and different school buildings and school buses for their first class onwards. So my kid is already very much excited that he’ll be going in a bigger bus and he will be going to the bigger building. I really don’t know how I will tell him.”She added, “If he repeats (UKG) it will be demotivating for him because he has been performing excellently everywhere.”Furthermore, parents highlighted the academic stagnation that may come with repetition. They argue that forcing a bright, curious child to spend another year re-reading the same books and practising the same basic skills will inevitably lead to a total loss of interest in learning.Dhanush chimed in, “I mean they (kids) are actually asking us. They’re emotional, asking us ‘why are my friends allowed to go to the first grade and why am I being asked to repeat? Am I not good enough?’”She added, “We are only asking for a 90-day relaxation.”What will the parents do if no relaxation is offered?Swati Verma continued, “I don’t have any next steps in the picture as such. We are really hopeful.”Joining, Ram told HT.com, “We will abide whatever rules and regulations are there. So, if that means we’ll have to repeat, we’ll have to do that. But we’ll try towards the end of it. I mean, we’ll go meet all the people, we’ll try to convince, we’ll seek help.”The desperation among families has reached such a peak that, according to one parent, some have already made the radical decision to move out of Karnataka entirely. These families are relocating to neighbouring states to enrol their children in Class 1, choosing to uproot their entire lives rather than subject their kids to the psychological and social setback of the six-year age criteria.The financial burden for parentsBeyond the emotional toll, the financial implications of the current age mandate are staggering for the parents. Some parents shared with HT.com that they have already invested between ₹6 lakh and ₹10 lakh in pre-schooling and UKG fees, expecting their children to transition seamlessly into primary school. Forcing a child to repeat a grade they have already successfully completed effectively flushes these years of high-cost tuition down the drain, requiring parents to shell out for an additional year of foundational schooling.Shashank Deep, whose son is missing the age limit 27 days, told HT.com, “The current fees of the school is around ₹4 lakhs, probably more, if you include transportation other things. It increases maybe 10% or so every year but that’s how it is for the current year. If he repeats now the fees will again increase 10% or something. I would say it’s a waste of money.” He said he has invested over ₹10 lakh till now for his child’s education.Manjula, whose daughter is just 8 days short, told HT.com that, beyond school fees, there is also the cost of hiring support to look after the kid when the parents go to work.Talking about the pre-school fees, she shared, “So when I started the schooling for her, we paid around ₹1.5 lakh, which increased 10% so… around ₹6 lakh we would have paid for the three years,” she added.Parents address social media backlashWhile many supported the parents’ request for an extension of the age limit, some argued that they were putting unnecessary pressure on their kids enrolling them in school before the age of six.Dhanush said, “Our children have been in school for 3 years. That is the requirement that the government also says the child must have completed nursery, LKG, and UKG. So, it is not that we are pressurising them or putting any additional stress. The child is already ready and in fact all their friends are going ahead to first grade and because they are falling short a few days they’re asked to repeat a year.”Parents are anxious but hopefulDespite uncertainty about the 90-day relaxation period, parents remain hopeful that the government will len to their plea and take into account the significant academic and emotional setbacks UKG students may face if they are denied promotion to Class 1.It remains to be seen whether the Karnataka government relaxes the minimum age limit for admission of students to Class 1.