Thiruvananthapuram: In a move to boost learning time and improve academic outcomes, the Kerala government has rolled out a revamped academic calendar for the upcoming school year. High school students in government and aided schools will now spend an extra 30 minutes in class each day, with 15 minutes added to both the morning and evening sessions. The new school hours will run from 9:45 AM to 4:15 PM.
To further optimize instructional time, seven additional Saturdays have been declared as working days, ensuring better scheduling and avoiding six consecutive school days in a week. As a result, high schools will now operate for a total of 205 working days in the academic year.
Upper Primary (UP) schools will add two more working Saturdays, totaling 200 working days, while Lower Primary (LP) schools will have 198 working days, excluding public holidays and Saturdays.
This restructuring aligns with national education standards that mandate 800 instructional hours annually for LP classes and 1,200 hours for high schools. The new calendar ensures these requirements are met through a balanced mix of longer school days and additional working days.
The decision was finalized during a meeting of the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) monitoring committee, chaired by Education Minister V. Sivankutty, reflecting the state’s continued commitment to strengthening public education.
