VIJAYAWADA: The heydays for children attending private schools are gone due to the exhaustive timetable being followed by private school managements of conducting classes at different timings. Where as the classes used to start at 8.30 am, it has now been preponed to 8 am in the morning for students from class VI to X. To add to the woes, the classes are extending up till 6 pm in the evening. Apart from the regular classes, students are also being given special classes which goes up to 8 pm.
Class VIII student D Krishna Chaitanya, attends a private school at 8.00 am in the morning and returns home at 8 pm in the evening. “We have nine regular periods starting from 8.30 am in the morning. In between there are four breaks including lunch break for 45 minutes. We also have study hours from 5pm to 7pm. For class 10 students, the study hours extend upto 7.30 pm to 8 pm.”
Asked about how he feels after going back home, Chaitanya said, “I always wish to bunk school in the morning and also feel like taking permission to go home and skip study hours. But it is not possible every day. Usually as I am exhausted after reaching home, I spend time sleeping or watching TV.”
Majority of the students studying in private schools are going through the same kind of lifestyle. As per the State government norms, the schools should follow the academic calendar proposed by the State education department-to start school at 9 am and end by 4 pm.
“All schools have to follow guidelines of the education department. But we hear that some schools are operating for long hours and making students stay up to 7pm in the name of study hours and tuitions. We certainly take action on such schools but even then, they get back to their timetable after a week or so. We are thinking of alternative ways to stop the excess timings of schools.” said T Srinivas, Incharge of Private schools section, School Education Department.
All is not well
State government norms: schools should operate from 9 am to 4 pm
Private schools starting classes at 8 in the morning and ending at 6 pm
In the name of special classes, classes extending upto 8 pm