Mangaluru: Karnataka State SDMC Coordination Centre Forum (Regd.) has urged the state government to review the revised school timings in Dakshina Kannada, claiming that students in the district could lose nearly 44 hours of classroom learning annually due to a daily reduction of 15 minutes in instructional time.

Forum seeks review of revised school timings

In a statement, Karnataka State SDMC Coordination Centre Forum (Regd.) State Convenor Moidin Kutty said the Department of School Education and Literacy has introduced uniform school timings across Karnataka.

Under the revised schedule, schools across the state are to function from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm from Monday to Friday and from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm on Saturdays.

However, according to Moidin Kutty, the Dakshina Kannada School Education Department has fixed weekday school timings from 9.45 am to 4.30 pm, reducing classroom instruction by 15 minutes every day.

Annual learning time could reduce by 44 hours

Although Saturday school timings remain unchanged at four hours, the cumulative reduction during weekdays would significantly affect the total instructional time available to students.

Moidin Kutty estimated that the daily reduction of 15 minutes would result in students losing more than 40 hours of classroom teaching over the course of an academic year, amounting to approximately 44 hours.

He argued that while the state government had introduced uniform school timings across Karnataka, implementing shorter instructional hours only in Dakshina Kannada contradicted the objective of maintaining uniformity across districts.

Rain-related school closures add to concerns

The SDMC Coordination Centre Forum also highlighted that Dakshina Kannada experiences frequent school closures during the monsoon due to heavy rainfall.

According to Moidin Kutty, students in the district already lose several teaching days every year because of weather-related holidays. Reducing daily classroom hours in addition to these unavoidable disruptions would further affect academic progress and learning outcomes.

He said the cumulative impact of weather-related closures and reduced instructional time could place students in Dakshina Kannada at a disadvantage compared to students studying elsewhere in Karnataka.

Government urged to restore uniform timings

Calling for immediate intervention, Moidin Kutty urged the Karnataka government to withdraw the district-level order reducing school timings by 15 minutes.

He appealed to the authorities to ensure that students in Dakshina Kannada receive the same amount of instructional time as students in other districts, in line with the state’s policy on uniform school timings.

The SDMC Coordination Centre Forum maintained that restoring the original schedule would safeguard students’ academic interests while ensuring consistency in classroom instruction across Karnataka.

Conclusion

The appeal has brought renewed attention to the implementation of uniform school timings in Dakshina Kannada. The forum has urged the government to reconsider the district’s revised schedule, arguing that equal instructional hours are essential to protect students’ academic interests, particularly in a district that frequently faces monsoon-related disruptions.