The General Education department has gone back on the move to include 28 Saturdays as working days and increase the total number of instructional days in the coming academic year to 220 following opposition from teachers’ organisations.
At a meeting of the Quality Improvement Project (QIP) monitoring committee teachers’ organisations convened by Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty on Tuesday, a consensus emerged that not more than five consecutive working days should be allowed in a week.
The plan for a sixth consecutive working day should be dropped. Even then, it will be possible to get additional 12 Saturdays in the year as working days, taking the total number of instructional days to around 204.
Last year, there were 202 instructional days – 198 working days plus four extra Saturdays. With 12 additional Saturdays this year, it will be possible to increase the number of instructional days to more than that last year.
The Minister pointed out that as per the Right to Education Act and the Kerala Education Rules, students should get 220 instructional days.
The organisations were, however, unanimous that having 28 working Saturdays was impossible.
As per teachers’ organisations, the higher secondary schedule of classes from 9 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. itself was enough to achieve the target of 1,000 instructional hours for higher secondary.
The Kerala Pradesh School Teachers Association said the practice was to have 200 instructional days in a year. Last year, there were 202 instructional days and the same could be maintained this year. Having six consecutive working days in a week would increase the burden on students as well as the teachers.
The National Teachers Union pointed out that as per the RTE, students till Class V should get 800 hours and those from Class VI to VIII should get 1,000 hours. This has been adhered to and an academic calendar of not less than 200 working days followed till now. It should be the same the coming year too.
It was at a previous QIP meeting that Director of General Education Shanavas S. had placed the proposal for 220 working days. It was mooted that 28 Saturdays would be included as working days in the academic calendar.
However, following strident opposition from teachers’ organisations, no decision was taken. The meeting on Tuesday also saw the organisations put forth their reservations.
The final academic calendar, including the Saturdays that will be working days, will be announced by the Minister soon.
