Kerala High Court seeks State response to plea against increase in working days for government schools

A petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the new school academic calendar for 2024-25 which increases the number of working days in aided and government schools from 205 to 220. [Kerala Pradesh School Teacher's Association & Anr v State of Kerala].Justice Ziyad Rahman A A directed the Government Pleader to get instructions on the matter and posted the case for hearing after 10 days. .The petition was moved by the Kerala Pradesh School Teacher's Association, a recognized association representing teachers from various government and aided schools and one PK Aravindakshan, headmaster of a government school in Kannur.The petitioners stated that schools previously operated on a five-day schedule with Saturdays and Sundays as holidays. The Manager of an aided school had approached the Court requesting an increase in working days.The Court had disposed of that matter with a direction to the Director of General Education to pass appropriate orders after hearing the affected parties, i.e., students, parents and teachers.However, the Director of General Education, without consulting the affected parties, published an academic calendar for the year 2024-24 increasing the number of working (teaching) days from 205 to 220.The petitioner submitted that the academic calendar was implemented without a formal order from the State government or the Director. Consequently, the new academic calendar stipulates 220 working days for high school and 195 working days for higher secondary classes, excluding examination days.The petition also stated that according to Rule 5(1) of Chapter 7 of the Kerala Education Rules 1959 (KER), the academic calendar must be issued at least ten days before the start of the school year. However, the 2024-25 academic calendar was released on the first day of the school year, i.e. June 3 this year..Further, all Saturdays except the second Saturdays and those falling within vacations have been designated as working days. A working Saturday would disrupt preparation time for scholarship exams typically held on Saturdays as well as existing schedules for extracurricular activities like NCC and SPC which offer students benefits like grace marks, it was contended. .The petition also pointed out that the extended calendar failed to consider the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) 2009 and KER, creating discrimination between government/aided schools and other schools that continue having 5 days as working in a week..The petitioners were represented by advocates Tony George Kannanthanam, Thomas George and Bibin B Thomas.