Inadequate Planning and Discontent Among Schools Over Shortened School Hours

During a meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Balavati Sharma questioned the government about the effects of a two-day school week on student education. Sharma argued that the disruption caused by the shortened schedule, in addition to the lack of coordination between class hours and work hours as per recent directives, has negatively impacted the quality of education in schools. The Education and Human Resource Development Center recently hinted at issuing a circular to schools regarding the implementation of the two-day school week, which includes adjustments such as reducing break times to 15 minutes and shortening lunch breaks to 30 minutes. Furthermore, schools are instructed to cut down the summer vacation from 45 days to 30 days by making Friday a day for practical activities and offering presentation opportunities as needed. However, both community and institutional schools have expressed confusion and dissatisfaction with the circular. Some educators have raised concerns about the adverse effects of such changes on the teaching and learning processes. The head of an association of community schools, Sudanprasad Gautam, criticized the directive, stating that the allocated 30-minute lunch break is impractical for students to have their meals. He emphasized the difficulties in organizing class schedules as per the new guidelines, highlighting the lack of simplicity in the adjustment process.