New system to resume classes after two-day holiday

Kathmandu. Following the government’s decision to give public holidays on Saturday and Sunday, the Curriculum Development Center has made a new arrangement for conducting classes and adjusting working hours at the school level. As per the decision of the Government of Nepal, Council of Ministers on April 22, the Centre has decided to give a holiday for two days in a week, Saturday and Sunday in all educational institutions.

According to the new management, the Curriculum Development Center, local level, teachers, schools and the stakeholders have been facing difficulties in adjusting the five days of the school operation and the duration of the classes.

The curriculum has been approved as per the recommendations of the task force formed from the meeting of the National Curriculum Development and Evaluation Council chaired by Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel on April 2

4. Director General of the Centre, Yubaraj Poudel, said that the working hours have been adjusted as per the approved curriculum.

Schools have been facing challenges to meet the annual working hours due to the provision of public holidays set by the government, other than the holidays provided as per the Education Act, 2028 and Education Rules, 2059, and holidays under the province and local level.

Sub-rule 7 of Rule 85 (a) of the Education Regulations, 2059 BS has a provision that the school shall be closed for at least 220 days in an academic session, while Rule 85 (a) (9) of the same Regulation has a provision that the school will be closed from Ghatasthapana to the full moon day of Bada Dashain.

Rule 58 (

3) of Rule 58 (3) provides for a maximum of 45 days of leave or closed leave in an academic session. The center has directed to move ahead by coordinating the subject matter specified in the curriculum, the curriculum load allocated for it and the additional activities to be conducted by the school.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2076 BS states that 765 hours of daily learning activities and thematic learning activities will be conducted annually for early childhood development and education.

There are 265 hours of recreation, outdoor games, rest and lunch time per year, which is the total amount of time a child spends in an early childhood development centre.

Director General Poudel said that at least

205 days of classes will be conducted for all classes of school education in an academic year, and a total of 26 teaching hours from class 1 to 3 i. e. 832 working hours annually has been arranged. According to him, a total of 32 teaching hours i. e. 1,024 working hours should be conducted annually from class 4 to 7 and classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 should have at least 37 course hours i. e. 1,184 working hours and a maximum of 42 course hours i. e. 1,344 working hours.

Director General Poudel said that the 32 hours spent to conduct the classes will be considered as one course hour.

According to the center, the school hours are usually calculated in the one-hour unit while conducting classes by determining the school time so that the prescribed class hours are not reduced.

According to the National Curriculum Framework, the number of teaching days is 21 while operating the school for 205 days and according to Rule 85 of the Education Regulations, the number of days reduced to 220 days is 36.

Out of the remaining 218 days, 15 minutes of prayer and 20 minutes of lunch time will be available for annual teaching on the basis of 5 hours and 25 minutes per day from six hours of school time.

Director General of the Centre Poudel said that the Centre has directed to link the insufficient number of school hours with the thematic and multidisciplinary learning achievements, projects to be carried out in addition to the school hours, and the time to be used for such learning should be included in the annual working hours.

President of Nepal Teachers’ Federation, Laxmi Kishor Subedi, said that they supported the government’s decision of giving two holidays in a week.

He, however, demanded that they should be consulted while taking decisions regarding the professional interests of teachers and employees.

General Secretary of the Private and Boarding Schools Organization Nepal (PABSON) RB Katawal said that they have strictly implemented the decision of declaring a school holiday on Sunday as well.

General Secretary Katawal said that they would not take the responsibility of conducting classes even on Sunday in defiance of the government’s decision.