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Kerala Defends Revised High School Schedule With Longer Days and Seven Saturdays

V. Sivankutty calls the revisions essential for meeting court-mandated instructional hours with further stakeholder discussions pending.

Kerala Minister Sivankutty justifies longer school hours amid row over new academic calendar
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Overview

  • Kerala high schools (classes 8–10) will operate from 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. daily to fulfil the mandated 1,100 annual instructional hours.
  • Seven Saturdays have been designated as working days under the revised calendar approved on July 10 to reach the required instructional threshold.
  • The minister said the overhaul follows a Kerala High Court ruling that invalidated the prior calendar and expert panel recommendations to ensure legal compliance with education rules.
  • Muslim education bodies, led by Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, warn the schedule change could disrupt madrassa classes and have been invited to further discussions.
  • Sivankutty pointed to a similar 2014 timing extension that drew no objections and compared Kerala’s 220-day academic year with longer calendars in Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.