Change in Saturday school timings leaves parents, teachers worried in Malnad area
A change in Saturday school timings effective June 27 has sparked concern among teachers, students, and parents in the Malnad region, where geographical challenges, roaming
A change in Saturday school timings effective June 27 has sparked concern among teachers, students, and parents in the Malnad region, where geographical challenges, roaming elephants, monsoon rains, and so on have long-necessitated later start times. The School Education Department revised timings in the Karnataka Advanced Attendance Management System (KAAMS), a mobile-based application tracking teachers’ attendance. From June 27, Saturday classes will run from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. across the State. However, there is no specific circular or order to this effect, except for the change in the application.
Previously, schools in the Malnad region began at 9 a.m. and closed at 1 p.m., tailored to local conditions. Urbanschools, on the other hand, followed an 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. schedule. The revision, aimed at standardising timings across the State, has created an impasse: uniformity on paper at conflict with the region’s lived geography. A.G. Nityananda, president of the School Development and Management Committee at the government higher primary school in Honnethal, Tirthahalli taluk, raised the core concern: “Reaching school by 8.30 a.m. is difficult for students who travel long distances.
Many come from villages far from the school.” In the Malnad region, the previous timings reflected necessity. In areas where wild elephants roam, local authorities have long discouraged early morning travel. During the monsoon, children struggle to reach school at all, let alone early. These factors informed the region’s separate timetable. Thimmaraju, Deputy Director of Public Instruction in Chikkamagaluru, acknowledged the tension. “Schools in the Malnad region have followed different timings due to weather and terrain.
There are areas with elephant movement. Considering such factors, they maintained a separate schedule,” he said, adding, “Now that KAAMS has been revised, officers are asking for clarification. I will contact my senior officials to resolve this.”
The BriefWire