Kerala Government Rejects Exemptions for Madrassa Students, Directs Opponents to Court
Education Minister V. Sivankutty says the court-mandated timing extension secures required teaching hours, urging dissenters to pursue legal remedies
Overview
- The High Court ordered a 15-minute extension to morning and afternoon sessions on 16 days each month to meet the national mandate of 220 instructional days.
- Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama has announced protests, warning that the revised schedule will disrupt classes for about 1.2 million madrassa students.
- V. Sivankutty describes calls for a rollback as undemocratic and intimidating and argues that special carve-outs would hamper school operations.
- The uniform extension affects some 30–35 lakh high school pupils across Kerala with no community-specific exemptions.
- The minister has ruled out further consultations, insisting the policy is final and grounded in secular governance principles.