Thiruvananthapuram: The government has directed that summer classes must not be conducted in schools. "Vacation must remain a vacation," stated General Education Minister V Sivankutty.
He clarified that no summer classes should be held unless specifically instructed by the government, and no fees or funds should be collected for such purposes.
The Minister noted that this trend is more prevalent in un-aided schools. Even though CBSE schools operate under a different board, they are obligated to follow these general instructions as the state government provides their No Objection Certificate (NOC).
As part of the Comprehensive Quality Education Programme aimed at ensuring academic standards in public schools, a 'learning support programme' is currently being conducted during the holidays for students from Class 5 to Class 9. This support session, running from Monday until April 27, is specifically for students who did not secure 30% marks in their written exams. Following this, a special school-level exam will be conducted to publish the promotion list.
When questioned by journalists regarding these classes also falling during the holiday period, the Minister clarified that this is a special project aimed at academic improvement rather than a standard summer class.