High school working hours extended by 30 minutes in state, here's the new schedule

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Department of General Education has announced a revised schedule for high school classes across the state, extending daily school hours by 30 minutes on all weekdays except Fridays.

Under the new directive, 15 minutes have been added to both the morning and evening sessions. As a result, high school classes will now operate from 9:45 AM to 4:15 PM. Additionally, six Saturdays have been designated as working days. The changes are aimed at ensuring compliance with the High Court’s instruction to maintain a minimum of 220 working days in an academic year.

The modifications, however, will not affect lower primary classes (1 to 4), which will continue with the existing timetable. For the upper primary section, two Saturdays in a week that do not have consecutive six working days will be school days. The new academic calendar is designed to ensure a total of 220 instructional days, including 25 working Saturdays.

Meanwhile, the move has sparked strong opposition from teachers’ unions. Both the Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA), which supports the ruling front, and the CPI-backed All Kerala School Teachers Union (AKSTU), have voiced their dissent. The unions argue that the new calendar was introduced without adhering to provisions in the Education Act and claim it contradicts the guidelines of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.