The Kerala High Court has overturned the Director of General Education’s decision to designate 25 Saturdays as working days to ensure 220 school days for the 2024 academic year. Justice Ziyad Rahman AA ruled that the director lacked the authority to impose such a policy, which should involve discussions with students, parents, and teachers as per the Right to Education Act.
This ruling came in response to petitions filed by teachers’ organizations KPSTA and KSTU, and several students from Palakkad district. The proposed academic calendar for 2024 suggested 220 working days for classes 1-10, which faced criticism for conflicting with the Right to Education Act norms.
The Right to Education Act, 2009 prescribes 800 hours (160 days) for Lower Primary (classes 1-5) and 1000 hours (200 days) for Upper Primary (classes 6-8). The Kerala government had defended the decision, citing Kerala Education Rules (KER). However, the KPSTA argued that the provisions of the Right to Education Act were not considered by the court.
