DHNS

Bangalore, Apr 29: Despite strong objections from parents, the State government has brought into effect its decision to change the school timings for both government and private schools. 
 
According to a government notification issued on Monday, from the academic year 2008-09 government lower primary and higher primary schools will have to commence classes at 9 am with the daily teaching time running up to five-and-a-half hours.

Private aided and unaided schools in Bangalore Urban district barring Anekal taluk, will have to start their classes at 8:30 am or earlier, the notification said.

Schools in Anekal taluk have been exemp-ted from the order. 
 
The executive committee of the State Education Department had given its nod to this decision on April 4.

The order has been sent to the Karnataka State Gazette for publication.

The decision has been taken with a view to avoiding traffic jams and reducing road accidents. The notification was preceded by a detailed meeting of officials of education and traffic departments on traffic problems posed by school timings and accidents involving schoolchildren.

The notification pointed out that since 2005 some English medium schools, which adopted either the State syllabus or CBSE/ICSE syllabus, were functioning every day from 8:30 am or earlier.

The move to change school timings had triggered debates involving parents and teachers. Critics of the move argued that children would be forced to wake up early in the morning, affecting their health.

Besides, working couples would gradually lose control over their children as they would return only in the evening, while their wards would be home in the afternoon with no one around to monitor them, they felt.