Kerala education minister Sivankutty to discuss extended class timings with CM

The Kerala government’s decision to extend high school class hours by 30 minutes has sparked concern from Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, prompting General Education Minister V Sivankutty to assure he will discuss the issue with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Sivankutty emphasized that the move was made in the interest of students and that the government remains open to dialogue.

He explained that the additional time, 15 minutes each in the morning and afternoon, was introduced to meet the requirement of 220 instructional days, as mandated by the court.

“What is the big deal if students get 30 minutes of additional classes?” asked Sivankutty.

He added that increased school hours were also necessary to accommodate extracurricular activities.

“The Right to Education Act and state education rules have stipulated minimum instructional days that need to be strictly followed,” he said.

Samastha, a leading organization of Sunni scholars, argued that the revised schedule could interfere with the madrasa education of thousands of Muslim students.