The bench was hearing an appeal by a group of parents challenging the minimum age criteria of six years for admission to Class 1 in Kendriya Vidyalaya for the upcoming academic session
The Supreme Court on Monday took a grim view of the parental anxiety over schooling, observing that children should not be sent to schools at a very young age in the interest of their psychological health.
“There is a kind of rush to send children to schools. Parents want to start as soon as their children are two years old. This may not be conducive to their psychological health,” remarked a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh.
The bench added: “There are studies to show there is a right age to admit a child to school. Don’t push the child too much. It may impact his ability to grasp and read. There could be psychological impact.”
In this case, the change in age criteria without any prior notice is prejudicial to the interest of the students who have the right to participate in the admission process, and also violates their right under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the petitioners argued.
But the top court was unmoved. “The problem is that every parent feels that his or her child is a genius who can adapt at any age. Think about the child and his psychological health. There is a right age to start everything and that also includes schools. In fact, there are some studies to show children do better when they do not start very early,” the bench told the counsel appearing for the group of parents that Children should not be sent to school at a very young age: Supreme Court
