Palakkad (Kerala) | Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Monday hardened his stance against religious and community organisations interfering in the affairs of educational institutions and said school timings across the state would not be decided to suit their convenience.
He clarified that neither his department nor he had any role in the school timing adjustments in the state in the current academic year.
"There are several religious and community outfits in the state. We cannot fix the timing of our schools and examinations of children as per their convenience," he told reporters here.
To justify the new timings of state schools, the minister also cited the examples of school timings of Kendriya Vidyalayas in the state and those in Gulf nations.
"We will try to convince everyone about this. A discussion will be held with representatives of school managements on Wednesday," he said.
Sivankutty also said as per the rules and procedures of the Right to Education, there should be 220 school working days.
According to General Education Department sources, the discussion will be held in the chamber of Sivankutty in Thiruvananthapuram on July 23 afternoon.
One representative from each management is expected to attend the meeting, where the minister will outline the reasons behind the government's revision of school timings, they said.
Sivankutty recently clarified that school timings cannot be changed to "accommodate a particular community", as the government must consider the interests of lakhs of students.
He stated that the decision to extend school hours by 30 minutes was based on the Kerala High Court directive, and anyone aggrieved by it can seek legal remedies.
As per the revised schedule, high school students (classes 8 to 10) will spend an additional 15 minutes each in the morning and afternoon on all working days except Fridays to help schools meet the mandated 1,100 instructional hours annually.
The minister's clarification comes in the wake of mounting criticism from Muslim organisations, including the Sunni clerical body Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, which contends that the "extended hours will interfere with religious education."
