New School Timings on Saturdays in Chhattisgarh Draw Criticism

The Chhattisgarh government has implemented changes to school timings on Saturdays, marking a departure from the previous schedule. The updated plan involves alterations to both the timing and the structure of the day’s activities. Specifically, yoga and exercise, previously conducted in the morning, are now scheduled for the afternoon, following the lunch break. The initial Saturday school hours were from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM. The new schedule extends the school day to 10 AM to 4 PM. The president of the Chhattisgarh Teachers Association, Sanjay Sharma, says that the current schedule creates confusion and disrupts the implementation of the Prime Minister’s initiative, ‘Do Yoga – Stay Healthy.’ The morning time is suitable for exercise and sports, and the new timing will not allow the students to do so. The change has drawn objections from teacher leaders, who see it as impractical and are advocating for a return to the original Saturday school hours. Dharmesh Sharma, Provincial Secretary of the Chhattisgarh School Teachers’ Association, said that the earlier schedule was working fine and that the new schedule is not suitable for the students’ overall development.