Kerala to add working Saturdays and longer school days, Minister defends move amid controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala General Education Minister, V Sivankutty, on Sunday defended the state's new academic calendar for 2025-26, which includes longer school hours and select working Saturdays to meet "national and state education standards.

" Under the revised timetable, high school students (classes 8 to 10) will spend an extra 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the afternoon on each working day-except Fridays-to help schools reach the required 1,100 instructional hours per year.Sivankutty, addressing a press conference, said that the changes will apply across 204 working days, with six Saturdays added as school days for high school students.His statement comes amid growing criticism from Muslim outfits, including Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, a prominent body of Sunni clerics, who argue that the extended hours will affect religious education.The minister said the move follows a directive from the Kerala High Court, which ruled in August 2024 that a previously issued academic calendar-which included 25 working Saturdays-was not legally valid as it lacked proper government approval.

The court instructed the state to revisit the calendar, consult stakeholders, and align it with existing laws.In response, the government formed an expert committee, which recommended limiting the number of working Saturdays to one per month, where necessary.For the upcoming academic year, seven Saturdays will be required for high schools to meet the target hours. The current calendar ensures quality education while following the law, Sivankutty said.He pointed out that other states, such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, already have more working days than Kerala.Even CBSE and ICSE schools in Kerala follow longer academic schedules than state schools, he added."When we look at all the numbers, it raises a genuine doubt whether there is a conspiracy from some quarters to destroy Kerala's General Education Department, which is being seen as a model at the national level and ranks second in the country," Sivankutty said.He alleged that teacher organisations affiliated with the Congress and the Muslim League approached the High Court against the decision to make Saturdays working days in schools."During the Congress-led UDF government, when class hours were extended from 9 am to 4.30 pm based on the Labba Committee recommendations, no one raised any complaints. There were no disputes or protests then. So, we must question the true intention behind the protests happening now," the minister said.Sivankutty said the government was ready to hold discussions with any organisation."If anyone wants to change the education laws, it must be done through an amendment in the Legislative Assembly. How can something that doesn't happen in any other state be allowed here to affect our children? If there are any doubts, let us sit down and look into them together," the minister added.He also said the new calendar includes anti-drug campaigns, arts and sports festivals, activities for differently-abled students, and scholarships, aiming to build a strong and inclusive public education system.The academic year will have 198 working days for classes 1-4, 200 for classes 5-7, and 204 for classes 8-10, Sivankutty said.