Samastha's objections overruled; daily school timings will remain extended by 30 minutes

General Education Minister V Sivankutty said on Friday that the government would proceed with the '30-minute' extra school time daily during the ongoing academic year. 

"The decision to advance school timing by 15 minutes in the morning and extend it by 15 minutes in the evening was based on the recommendation of an expert committee constituted on the directions of the High Court," Sivankutty told reporters after the meeting. "But before I opened up the discussion, I explained why such a decision had to be taken," the minister said, and added: "They listened to me very carefully, but I don't think they (the E K Samastha) were convinced."

Nonetheless, he stated that the majority of participants welcomed the government's decision. Organisations consulted in the process included CMS, KPSMA, the Aided School Managers Association, the Madrasa Board, the Muslim Education Society, LMS, SN Trust Schools, SNDP Yogam Schools, the Kerala Aided School Managers Association, both EK and AP factions of Samastha, and the NSS. "But if the complaint still persisted, the government was willing to take up the issue with the managements in the next academic year," Sivankutty said.  

As per the education calendar drawn up after discussion with experts, and at the directions of the court in August 2024, the working hours of high schools (Classes 8, 9 and 10) have been fixed at 1,100 hours. This is sought to be achieved through 220 working days this academic year by increasing the working hours by 30 minutes on all working days, except 38 Fridays.

Originally, the minister said the government's plan was to convert Saturdays into working days. But this, he said was opposed by the teachers' organisations. "Even the court had questioned the authority on which the Director general of Education had declared Saturdays as working days," Sivankutty said. 

The minister said that certain recommendations like extending the school timing by 30 minutes in the evening or dividing it between noon and afternoon were mooted. "But I tried to explain the practical difficulties inherent in such proposals," the minister said. 

The Samastha EK faction had earlier warned that the government would face serious consequences if its concerns about school timings were not addressed. The Syro-Malabar Church, in turn, had advised the government not to give in to the "pressure tactics" of the Muslim community.

Working days by class

• Classes 1 to 4: 198 working days (unchanged)
• Classes 5 to 7: 200 working days
• Classes 8 to 10: 204 working days

Two additional Saturdays have been added for upper primary, and six for high school.

The current calendar revision stems from a Kerala High Court order in 2024. The court was responding to a petition filed by the management and PTA of Ebenezer HSS, Beetur, which sought a return to the 220 working-day model. In response, the Director of General Education had temporarily added 25 working Saturdays to the 2024–25 calendar.

However, this was challenged by teachers’ organisations and other stakeholders, who argued that such a change required legislative backing. The High Court ruled in August 2024 that the calendar must be re-examined by the government in consultation with experts. It also deemed the Director’s unilateral revision invalid. Following the court order, the government held consultations in September 2024 and appointed a five-member expert committee in January 2025 to review the academic calendar. The panel considered various factors, including required instructional hours and working days, before recommending that the existing calendar be retained with minor changes.

As per Chapter 7 of the Kerala Education Rules, a school year must offer at least 220 potential instructional days. However, a shortfall of up to 20 days can be condoned by Educational Officers, and any further gap can be regularised by the Director of General Education. The new calendar prioritises achieving 1,100 instructional hours, aligning with national standards and best practices.

Kerala’s revised academic structure remains in sync with other Indian states: Gujarat (243 working days), Karnataka (244), Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh (233) and Delhi (220), a release by the Department of Education stated.

The government has reiterated that the existing schedule will remain unchanged for now. However, it assured that any fresh concerns raised during the 2025–26 academic year would be reviewed and addressed in due course.