Kerala's General Education Department announced a holiday for all schools under its jurisdiction on Monday in view of the FIFA World Cup final, officials said on Sunday.
The officials said the decision was taken after considering requests from students who are football enthusiasts and wished to watch the World Cup final on Sunday night.
The holiday will apply to all schools functioning under the General Education Department, the official statement said.
General Education Minister N Samsudheen also announced the holiday through his social media accounts.
"Happy now, children?" the minister wrote.
"Considering the request of students who are football enthusiasts, the Kerala General Education Department has declared a holiday on Monday (July 20) for all schools under the department in view of the FIFA World Cup final to be played after midnight tonight," he said.
Earlier, CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty had urged the state government to declare a holiday for all schools on Monday in view of the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
Sivankutty said the final, scheduled to begin late on Sunday night, was expected to continue into the early hours of Monday, making it difficult for students to reach schools on time.
He also suggested that the lost working day could be compensated by declaring a Saturday, which is otherwise a holiday, as a working day.
Several UDF leaders had also made similar requests for a holiday.
General Education Minister N Samsudheen, Higher Education Minister Roji M John and Sports Minister O J Janeesh are also known football enthusiasts and have regularly posted messages on social media expressing support for their favourite teams during the FIFA World Cup.
(With inputs from PTI)