THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thrissur will host the Kerala School Arts Festival 2025-26 and Thiruvananthapuram will be the venue of the Kerala School Sports Meet. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by General Education Minister V Sivankutty in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday which was attended by representatives of various teachers’ associations.
In the previous academic year, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam were the venues of the arts and sports fetes, respectively. The meeting also decided that Palakkad will host the State School Science Fair this year. The special school arts festival will be held in Malappuram, while Wayanad will host the arts fete for Teachers Training Institutes (TTI) and Pre-Primary Teachers Training Institutes (PPTTI).
The meeting also decided to hold the Disha Higher Studies Expo & International Career Conclave in Kottayam. The distribution of state teachers’ awards and school performance awards will be held in Thiruvananthapuram.
The dates of all these events will be announced later, the minister’s office informed. The meeting also approved the revised school timings for high school classes from 9.45am to 4.15pm. According to the minister, the teachers’ demand to increase the assistance for the noon meal scheme, owing to the revised menu, will be discussed in detail. The department will explore whether the assistance of local bodies could be availed for the noon meal scheme, the minister said.
The teachers’ union representatives extended their support for the implementation of the academic master plan in schools. Term exams and unit exams will continue. The meeting also decided to reinstate the 2017 government order on staff fixation of Physical Education (PE) teachers. Sivankutty said proposals to amend the PE teacher to pupil ratio from 1:500 to 1:300 and the introduction of PE classes in LP and Higher Secondary sections will be considered.
Training in counselling will be provided to teachers to tackle the drug menace in schools. The meeting also approved the revised academic calender to be followed in schools in the 2025-26 academic year. A total of 42 teachers’ associations participated in the meeting.