Delhi’s DoE issues new guidelines for admissions in special government schools

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued new guidelines for admissions in classes 1 to 9 and 11 in government-run special schools in Delhi.

According to a circular released on March 6, students who are coming from a recognized school will get direct admission to classes 6 and 9.

Children who are not currently admitted to any school and are applying for class 6 will be evaluated based on their literacy and numeracy levels.

Meanwhile, students applying for classes 7 and 8 who do not have any previous education or do not come from a recognized school can be admitted on a parental guarantee.

Students willing to take admission to class 9 must have completed the previous year at a recognized school, according to the new guidelines.

The age bracket for entry-level classes such as nursery is 3-7 years, kindergarten is 4-8 years, for class 1 up to 4 it is 5-9 years, and for class 5 it is 9-14 years.

For mid-level classes the age group is set at 10-16 years for class 6, 11-17 years for class 7, 12-18 years for class 8, and 13-19 years for class 9.

For class 11 admissions, students must be between 15-21 years of age. However, relaxation of up to six months can be provided in individual cases.

Students who are transferred from approved feeder schools with acceptable documents will also be exempted from the age rule, with the Principal having the authority to relax by six months on parents' request.

The guidelines specify eligibility criteria for NIOS students applying for humanities, requiring a minimum of 50% in five subjects without skill subjects and 45% with them.

For disabled students, blind school applicants must provide a disability certificate or UDID card, while admission for intellectually disabled students is limited to those with moderate to deep disabilities based on IQ assessment. Additionally, students from

Trans-Yamuna areas will be given priority due to transport limitations.

Students with hearing disabilities must have severe to profound hearing loss (over 61 dB) to be considered, with additional assessments like Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) and IQ tests required.

Admissions will be conducted online via the DoE's official website, with priority given to applicants with siblings in government special schools.

Delhi residents will have a preference, while non-residents may apply for hostel seats if vacancies remain after admitting all eligible local students. Admissions will be based on seat availability, and if applications exceed available spots, a lottery system will be implemented.