Thiruvananthapuram: Ahead of the commencement of the new academic year in Kerala, General Education Minister V Sivankutty announced that the government has targeted at least 220 working days for the higher secondary courses' new calender.
The Plus One courses would get additional 45 days in the 2023-34 academic year as the classes are scheduled to begin on July 5.
The government would discuss about the feasibility of making Saturdays as working days, said Sivankutty.
He added that no teacher’s association has expressed any displeasure over this matter. According to officials, there will be 28 working Saturdays in the new calender.
'Enough Plus-One seats'
The Minister also said that seats would be ensured for all the students who aspire to enrol for Plus-One courses in every district, including in Malappuram, where a high number of applicants are expected.
The number of students may go up to 60 in each batch as the marginal seats have been increased. It is not possible to allow an additional batch just for 25 students, the Minister said, while also noting that the increase in strength wouldn’t affect the academic quality.
The Minister, however, admitted that the teachers may have different opinion on the increase in the number of batches.
Meanwhile, the Minister said that a decision hasn’t been reached about the appointments that were made based on the recognition of posts in schools last year. This year, the government aims to strengthen the educational quality of primary schools. The government also envisages installing scholarships for students of higher classes.