The government has appointed a five-member expert committee to study in detail issues concerning the school academic calendar in the wake of a High Court judgment in the matter.
The committee comprises V.P. Joshith, head, department of Education, Central University of Kerala; Amar Fettle, State nodal officer, adolescent health, National Health Mission; Deepa Bhaskaran, assistant professor in developmental paediatrics, Child Development Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; Jayaraj S., former consultant, Samagra Shiksha, Kerala; and M.P. Narayanan Unni, former faculty member of the State Council of Educational Research and Training.
The High Court had set aside an order of the Director of General Education declaring 25 Saturdays as working days in the academic calendar for 2024-25. It had also directed the State government to reconsider the matter after taking into the account the views of stakeholders and experts as well as the requirements under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.
Accordingly, the stakeholders, including the petitioners and teachers’ organisations, were heard by the government in September. On its basis, the government decided to set up a committee to study how many hours/instructional days will be needed for classroom transaction for curricular and co-curricular activities as envisaged in the current curriculum and if adequate time/days were not available, how to make up for the shortfall without affecting students’ physical, mental, and emotional development.
The order constituting the committee gives it two months to submit a report to the government.
Published – January 21, 2025 09:14 pm IST
