UP Board mandates stricter birth date verification at admission

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) issued guidelines requiring schools to use only prescribed documentary evidence for recording students' dates of birth at admission.

Allowed documents include birth certificate under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1886; hospital or ANM birth records; Anganwadi records; village birth/death registers; or a sworn parent/guardian affidavit.

The move addresses frequent omissions of document basis and numerous correction requests in UP Board certificates, as noted in a July 29 letter from secretary Bhagwati Singh to director Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi.

The Board highlighted that many correction applications reveal students admitted below the RTE Act 2009 minimum age of six years for Class 1.

District Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs) are to ensure counter signing of transfer certificates to strengthen accountability.