The State government is prepared to clear any doubts related to the revised high school working hours in the 2025-2026 academic calendar, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr. Sivankutty said the current objections against the time revision were suspicious given that similar revisions in the past were not met with protests or disputes.
There is a misconception that the revision applies to all classes from Classes I to Class X. On the contrary, the increase of 15 minutes each in the morning and afternoon sessions (9.45 a.m. to 4.15 p.m.) applies only to high schools.
Organisations such as the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama had expressed concerns that the revised schedule would affect madrassa education.
Mr. Sivankutty said on Sunday that the sections now criticising the time revision raised no objection when the higher secondary schools timings were revised from 9.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. during the United Democratic Front rule in 2014.
The State government had constituted a five-member expert panel in January 2025 to study issues related to the academic calendar.
In publishing the academic calendar, the State government only sought to ensure academic standards in school education and to guarantee the required 220 working days and 1,100 instructional hours, excluding examination days, as required by the Kerala Education Rules, Mr. Sivankutty said.
To compare, Gujarat has 243 days, Uttar Pradesh 233, Karnataka 244 days, Andhra Pradesh 233 days and Delhi 220 days.
Published â July 13, 2025 08:15 pm IST
