Kerala extends pre-primary education to three years

The Kerala government will now offer pre-primary education for three years instead of two.

This change aligns with the state government's decision to raise the minimum age for Class 1 admission to six years, starting in 2026.

Children who currently begin pre-primary school at age three enter Class 1 at age five, but the new rule will require them to study for an additional year.

However, starting in 2026, the entry age for pre-primary school will remain at three years.

The SCERT will develop the extended three-year pre-primary curriculum.

To improve quality, the government has also issued an order stating that measures will be taken to unify pre-school education.

Guidelines for approving and establishing criteria for pre-schools are being developed, particularly in response to complaints about private pre-primary schools.

"The new curriculum will clearly outline the skills children should acquire over the three-year period," said Dr R K Jayaprakash, director of SCERT.

Public pre-primary schools currently use the Kalithoni textbook, which was created based on the 2013 curriculum.

Government honoraria are only provided to pre-primary teachers hired before August 2012 and their direct successors in government schools.

This includes 2,851 teachers and 1,961 ayahs. However, over 10,000 employees in aided school pre-primary sections, along with around 5,000 staff members hired after 2012, receive only minimal salaries from Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

The government has contested the High Court ruling ordering it to raise honoraria retroactively from 2012.

Additionally, the delay in receiving the second and third volumes of the Kalithoni textbook in most districts this academic year has further complicated matters.