The likelihood of the new academic year beginning in April instead of June from this year onwards has thrown the managements of educational institutions, teachers, students and parents into a tizzy. Soon after the government proposed changes to the academic calendar, the All Goa Secondary School Teachers’ Association (AGSSTA) came out strongly against it. It warned that the shift, which would be done at too short a notice in the first place, would impact the entire education system in the state.
AGSSTA also opposed plans to extend school hours by 10 hours to 39 hours per week as it maintained that both students and teachers - who are already under considerable strain - would be further burdened by this.
Proposed as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it is believed that the state government wants to begin classes for the new academic year from April 1, 2025 onwards for secondary and higher secondary schools, with holidays scheduled from the beginning of May to the beginning of June. This is supposedly being done so that the academic years for state boards and the Central Board of Secondary Education proceed in tandem and the prescribed curriculum is completed in a time-bound manner.
Be that as it may, what the NEP in general and the government in particular have failed to consider is that India is geographically a large country and doesn't have uniform weather patterns all across at a single point in time. This means that Goa, which is a coastal state and hence has tropical climate, is afflicted by scorching summer heat during the months of April and May, which is why educational institutions are shut during these two months. If starting the new academic year this April is steamrolled by the government anyway - just because there needs to be blind adherence to the NEP - there are sure to be instances of discomfort, heat strokes and related ailments among staff and students alike. Is our education system capable of handling such cases?
Also, while this decision was probably made in the comfort of an air-conditioned conference room, not all classrooms in Goa are well-ventilated and air-conditioning is but a distant dream. How will young children and their teachers get through this? Was there no thought given to their welfare at all?
Then there is also the mental burden that needs to be highlighted. Examinations, including public board exams, are scheduled to be conducted across the state in March or April this year, and teachers will be required to correct these papers. Foisting the additional task of preparing for a new academic year in April itself on the already overburdened teaching community will not only disrupt the announcement of results of the 2024-25 academic year, but will also make it extremely difficult for them to prepare timetables and lesson schedules for the upcoming year. How is all this expected to be accomplished in such a short span of time?
The NEP may have lofty goals and may propose sincere amendments aimed at overhauling the country's education system for the better. But there has to be a solid mechanism in place to ensure that the changes are eased in and consequently well-received by all the stakeholders concerned. Surprises can't be sprung on states, teachers, students and parents and they shouldn't be expected to comply immediately.
As it is, many schools are already struggling with compliance of APAAR ID requirements and are being asked for periodic updates by the education department, when in reality, school managements are having a tough time convincing parents of the benefits of the ID and are therefore not receiving consent from them. The APAAR ID is a unique 12-digit identifier designed to consolidate students’ academic and extracurricular records on a digital platform. Integrated with the DigiLocker ecosystem, it enables students to store and access their achievements, exam results, learning outcomes, and participation in activities like Olympiads, sports, and skill training. However, many schools and parents are unaware of the modalities of this initiative and are therefore floundering.
It is high time the central government steps in and handholds states in the implementation of the NEP's goals and also allows them enough time to ease into the requirements of the policy. It is also important that states don't impose such initiatives on schools and instead initiate dialogue with the Centre on how best to tackle such issues.