By Sneha May Francis

After much confusion over the age of students enrolling for KG1, Dubai’s education authority has issued a clarification, detailing that children need to be four years old to start kindergarten.



“This policy will ensure uniformity across the schools sector in the UAE and that each child receives the best possible start to their education,” stated Abdulrahman Nassir, Chief of Customer relations at Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).



The age limit is listed in the admission policy that has been drafted by the federal government of the UAE, in collaboration with local educational authorities.



It stated that children starting school in the 2014-15 academic year must be four years old.



It added that the “cut-off age date for schools starting their academic year in September has changed to December 31”.



While, the “cut-off age date for schools starting their academic year in April has changed to July 31”.



For all schools starting their new academic year in September this admission policy will apply.



Those institutions that start their school term in April, the changes will be implemented for the academic year 2015-16.



The policy also highlighted that “all students must be enrolled in school by the age of 6. This is the equivalent of Grade 1/Year 2”.



KHDA told Emirates24|7 that this change in admission policy has been communicated to the Dubai private schools.



A parent of a reputed Indian school in the emirate confirmed that they have been informed of this change.



In a letter to the parents, the school informed, “As per the directive from the federal government of the UAE the minimum age for admission in KG1 will be 4 years (by 31 July) for the academic year April 2015-2016 in all schools in Dubai.”



In response to a parent’s query, the KHDA tweeted the same information. “Children need to be 4 years old to attend KG1,” it wrote on its official twitter handle.



Currently, the minimum age for admission to KG1 is three years.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.