TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: Almost all schools increased school hours by 30 minutes, as academic institutions implemented the government circular on enhanced school hours.
While a few schools implemented the increased school hours on June 17, others switched over to the new hours on Friday. Most remaining schools executed the education department circular on Monday. However schools in the taluka did not have a uniform time to commence and most schools began at 7.45 am, 7.50 am or 8 am.
“Most schools have fixed their schools hours based on various factors and one important factor is the availability of transportation facilities to coincide with the school timings,” a source told Herald.
According to sources, the latest circular issued by the education department specifies a revised time of five and a half hours, excluding recess and 200 instructional days, which have been increased from 5 hours and 195 days respectively.
Added another source, “If the government is so serious in implementing five-and-half teaching hours, instead of previous 5 hours, then how it is going to cope with the government primary schools?”
There are about 72 Government Primary Schools in Canacona alone and 50 of these schools operate with a single teacher.
“Technically, classes at these GPSs will get a teacher for little over an hour and not five-and-half teaching hours, as envisaged in government’s circular,” remarked a teacher.
One source from a school management opined that instead of increasing school timings by 30 minutes a day, the government should have increased the instructional days to 220 days, by cutting a few public holidays.
