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The Board of Secondary Education in UP has issued strict directives to schools regarding changes to dates of birth in High School certificates and marksheets. Schools must now base the recorded date of birth on valid age proof submitted at the time of initial admission. Any documents submitted later to request a change in the date of birth will also undergo rigorous scrutiny. The Board has observed instances where Transfer Certificates (TCs) from primary or upper primary levels are being used as proof of date of birth, even though the necessary details are often unclear in older records. In light of this, school principals have been instructed to maintain accurate records and ensure the authenticity of all documents.

**Date of Birth to be Determined at Initial Admission**
The Board of Secondary Education has clarified that the date of birth recorded on High School certificates and marksheets cannot be altered arbitrarily. The date of birth must be recorded based on the valid age proof available at the time of the student's first admission to the school. Principals must also ensure that the original document used to establish the date of birth at the time of admission is safely preserved in the school's records.

According to Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh, numerous cases regarding date-of-birth corrections are being reported at regional offices. Investigations have revealed instances where attempts were made to alter the date of birth using a subsequently issued TC as evidence. In several cases, the child did not even meet the age requirement at the time of initial admission. Furthermore, some schools had failed to record details from the original documents.

**Documents Used to Record Date of Birth**
Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the prescribed age for admission to Class 1 is six years. If a birth certificate is unavailable at the time of admission, age can be determined based on other documents. These include hospital records, records from a registered ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife), Anganwadi records, and birth or age certificates issued by the Gram Panchayat. Additionally, an affidavit submitted by the parents may also be accepted as valid proof. The board has instructed schools to record a student's date of birth based solely on these recognized documents. Even in cases involving subsequent corrections, records and documents will be thoroughly scrutinized to prevent any alterations to certificates based on incorrect information.

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