UP Board mandates stricter birth date verification at admission

In a letter dated July 29 sent to director of basic education Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said headmasters of government-run primary and upper primary schools often fail to mention the document on the basis of which a child’s date of birth is recorded at the time of first admission. This creates doubts about the authenticity of school records and leads to a large number of requests for correction of dates of birth in UP Board certificates.

The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has issued fresh guidelines directing schools to rely only on prescribed documentary evidence while admitting children to primary and upper primary classes, a move aimed at preventing irregularities in the recording of students’ dates of birth.

The Prayagraj-based UP Board headquarters (HT File)

In a letter dated July 29 sent to director of basic education Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said headmasters of government-run primary and upper primary schools often fail to mention the document on the basis of which a child’s date of birth is recorded at the time of first admission. This creates doubts about the authenticity of school records and leads to a large number of requests for correction of dates of birth in UP Board certificates.

The Board has directed that if a birth certificate issued under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1886 is unavailable, schools may verify a child’s age using one of four alternative documents: hospital or Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) birth records, Anganwadi records, village birth and death registers, or a sworn affidavit by the parents or guardians declaring the child’s age.

“Several representations seeking correction of dates of birth are received where the student’s age at the time of admission is found to be below the age prescribed under the RTE Act. Greater caution is, therefore, required while recording the date of birth at the stage of first admission,” Bhagwati Singh said while confirming the move.

To strengthen accountability, the Board has asked the director to instruct all district Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs) to ensure that while countersigning transfer certificates, the verifying authority clearly mentions the signatory’s name, designation and service register number.

Since the dates of birth and names printed on UP Board certificates are crucial for students’ academic and official records, schools have been instructed to record the date of birth carefully at the time of first admission, strictly on the basis of the prescribed documents.