Shift in school vacation timings requires Kerala Education Rules' amendment
According to Chapter 7 (1) of the KER, all schools will close for the summer vacation every year on the last working day of March and reopen on the first working day of June.
Any shift in this schedule will have to be notified by the Director of General Education.
A lasting change can be effected only through amendment to the KER.
RTE Rules
Significantly, Section 8 (4)(b) of the Kerala Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011, does say that the government should ensure minimum number of working days and instructional hours in an academic year as specified in the Schedule to the RTE Act by arranging the school vacations in such a manner that their duration does not exceed 45 days at a time.
However, the possibility of the government taking any major decision in its last year in office is slim, say teachers' organisations.
Education experts have raised the question as to why the summer vacations cannot be held in May-June if not April-May or even trimmed to 45 or even fewer days as in many other States if loss of working days is a concern. Schools in Delhi, for instance, follow the mid-May to June-end vacation schedule.
Kendriya Vidyalayas
Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas in the State that initially adhered to the May-June schedule followed nationally also shifted to April-May years ago. Parents of KV students in Palakkad had approached the Kerala State Human Rights Commission seeking rescheduling of the vacation as summer peaked in Kerala in the months of April and May.
The government itself has issued orders banning classes during the peak of summer in the wake of directives from the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, a teachers' organisation had pointed out.
Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty did not go into how the academic calendar could be rearranged against the backdrop of public examinations and result publication, Plus One higher secondary admissions, and entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE, and CUET that are held in these months.
Adverse monsoon
The pro-Communist Party of India (CPI) All Kerala School Teachers' Union (AKSTU) says discussions should be held on the Minister's proposal since Kerala had been experiencing the adverse effects of monsoon rains in the recent past. However, it should be ensured that the prospects of students who head out of the State after Class XII are not affected. A rethink on the public examination schedule would also be required.
The Aided Higher Secondary Teachers' Association (AHSTA) says the rising summer temperatures and water scarcity make it impractical to conduct classes in schools during April-May. As the proposed schedule change will also create difficulties for students appearing for national entrance examinations and taking admission to institutions in other States, discussions with teachers and experts should be held on the matter before going forward with it.
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