Karnataka to enforce harsh admission norms for Private Schools for 2025-26

The Karnataka government issued a new rulebook for 2025-26 in a move to seek justice and ensure transparency in private school admission processes. The state's all the private schools including national board schools like CBSE and ICSE will be administered by the norms.

The key feature of the new policy is that the process of admission is regulated to avoid arbitrary and unlawful practices and safeguard parents against hidden charges and discrimination. According to the new rules, a child cannot be younger than 5 years and 5 months on June 1, 2025, to be admitted to Class 1.

For ensuring transparency, schools are now required to publish detailed information regarding admission calendars, capacity, and fees. All these have to be displayed on notice boards, school websites, and even in the admission manuals. Fees can also be raised only with prior sanction by the concerned department and with its announcement to the public. Unauthorized or surreptitious fees are prohibited under stricter standards.

As a measure for inclusive education, the government has placed a big emphasis on mandatory reservations. Reservations are for half of the seats for the girl students and the SC students, ST students, and the OBC students are reserved seats.

More than anything else, schools will cease to be able to hold entrance tests or interview on admission into pre-primary or Class 1. The overhaul will ease the load on tiny children and an end to discrimination in selection mechanisms.

The Karnataka School Education Department has made it amply clear that the schools which are found to be non-compliant with such regulations will be dealt with sternly, including cancellation of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) or recognition. The officials have asserted that the state regulations need to be complied with by all the schools regardless of the board to which they are affiliated so that equality in pursuit of education is achieved.

These reforms are an indication of the shift in the direction of the government to make school admission simpler, child-focused, and accountable. Parents and institutions need to get accustomed to the new trend from the start of the new session in 2025-26 as well in order to present a well-balanced learning environment.