Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Apr 7: In a significant restructuring of the academic calendar, schools across Goa are initiating the 2025-26 academic year for students in Standards VI to X and XII starting today, April 7th. This marks a departure from the conventional June commencement, with a month-long summer recess scheduled for May.

Breaking away from the traditional June-to-April cycle, the academic year for Classes VI to X and XII will now run from April to March. Meanwhile, students in Classes I to V and XI will begin their academic term on June 4th, 2025, also concluding in March of the following year.

Acknowledging the prevailing weather conditions, particularly the heatwave advisory issued for Goa until April 9th, classes in April will be held until 11:30 am. The summer vacation, spanning five weeks, is set to begin on May 1st.

All middle, secondary, and higher secondary schools under the Goa Board's purview have already communicated the revised schedule and commencement of classes to their students.

This transition is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) and is anticipated to streamline curriculum completion and ensure the mandated 220 instructional hours are met effectively.

The academic year will be divided into two terms: the first running from April 7th to October 15th, and the second from November 4th to March 24th, 2026.
Scheduled breaks include the Ganesh Chaturthi holidays from August 26th to September 1st, the Diwali break from October 16th to November 3rd, and the annual Christmas vacation from December 24th to January 2nd.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has instructed schools to ensure that the First Summative or Terminal examination concludes by October 7th, and the Second Summative examinations are preferably conducted before March 13th, 2026.