Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Oct 23: The relentless rains pounding Karnataka’s coastal region, combined with extended holidays for caste surveys and festivals, have thrown the 2025 academic year into disarray — prompting the Education Department to devise a comprehensive master plan aimed at rescuing lost school days and completing the syllabus on time.
Since the school year began, heavy downpours have forced district authorities to declare multiple holidays across the region.
Meanwhile, the ongoing state-wide Social and Educational Survey pushed the Dasara break till October 18, and Deepavali holidays delayed the reopening of many schools until Thursday, further squeezing the academic calendar.
The mounting disruptions have created a race against time for teachers and officials tasked with finishing the syllabus ahead of the March final exams.
Saturdays confirmed, Sunday classes under debate
In recent years, the department has leaned towards holding full-day Saturday classes to make up for lost teaching time during the monsoon. Historically, Saturdays have served as the catch-up day following rainy season closures.
But this year, the sheer volume of missed days — from rains, surveys, and festivals — has piled on the pressure. While Saturday classes seem inevitable, Sunday sessions remain controversial.
“Teachers are already stretched thin due to the social survey duties. There’s no consensus yet on Sunday classes,” explained a senior official. Instead, the department is mulling using select government holidays and commemorative days for extra classes.
Crunch time: November and December critical for course completion
With November and December now pivotal, the department faces a daunting challenge. “Completing the syllabus before January and February exams will be extremely tough,” said Shashidhar G S, deputy director of Public Instruction. To cope, special combined classes and coaching sessions are being planned to ensure students don’t fall behind.
This catch-up effort will mostly impact government schools, as private institutions have already adapted their schedules and remain on track. Teachers returning from survey duty face a tough balancing act, juggling make-up lessons alongside mounting academic responsibilities.
Department to finalise strategy soon
Shashidhar said, “Within two days, we’ll meet with officials and subject experts to finalise the plan to recover lost teaching days. We are also assessing the feasibility of holding evening classes for SSLC students.”
As coastal Karnataka grapples with one of its most disrupted academic years in recent memory, the Education Department’s decisive actions could well determine whether students weather this storm without compromising their education.