THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Does your child in the higher secondary class (Plus 1 or Plus 2) look tired of late? Reason could be the increased class hours and reduced recess time. Students even complain they are not able to use toilets due to the reduced intervals.
The school timings in higher secondary section of all government and aided schools in the state was restructured four years ago by an education panel which scheduled the class hours from 9 am to 4.45 pm. The time was extended to make Saturdays as holidays. However, the HSE Department decided to make Saturdays working days and scheduled extra classes in the evening in order to compensate for the loss of working days due to the flood this year.
Now students get a 10-minute interval in the morning and a 35-minute lunch break. Earlier, the HSS used to have one-hour lunch break in between the 9.30 am to 3.30 pm school hours.“After the first hour in the morning, we only get a 10 minute break from 10.50 to 11 am. The toilets get filled up quickly so that many students do not get a chance to relieve themselves,” said Roopesh (name changed), a Plus 2 student of an aided school in Thiruvananthapuram.
“The 35-minute lunch break means we don’t have any free time after the lunch. There are 10 periods in a day. We have classes till 4.45 pm and on some days we have extra classes. I get so tired by the end of the day that I hardly get time to study at home. The problem has compounded after Saturdays were made working days,” he said. Though school principals and teachers are trying to finish the syllabus before the final exams in March, they are seeking to restructure the time again from next academic year. Amal Krishnan, an HSS teacher, said students’ demands are genuine. “On many days, they are so tired that we have to stop the classes after seeing many of them sleeping. Some even ask time to go to toilets during class hours as they don’t get chance during shortened intervals. This is a serious issue and the government should address it immediately,” he said.
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) Chairman P Suresh said the panel has received several complaints from students and parents about the issue and he sought a report from the schools. “It is learnt from the reports that the education department had decided to conduct extra classes in the evening and made Saturdays working days to compensate for the loss of working days due to floods. However, it is a serious matter and the Commission will intervene if we receive more complaints,” he said.
P K Sudheer Babu, Director of HSE, admitted that the restructured timings were tough on students. However, a change in timings would be made only after it is recommended by an expert committee. “Yes, the school timings are too tough on students and teachers. The present schedule was recommended by the Dr Lebbah Committee.
If we need to change it, a committee has to recommend that. However, a change would be possible only from the next academic year there only two months remaining for the end of this academic year,” said Babu.