CHENNAI: The quarterly break for schools in Tamil Nadu will be extended till October 6, said Department of School Education on Wednesday.
This was a demand put forth by teachers, stating that they needed time to evaluate quarterly examination answer sheets and prepare results.
Speaking about the matter, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi had said earlier in the day that a decision would be taken after discussing the matter with the department officials.
As per the earlier circular issued by the School Education Department, the quarterly exams for classes 1 to 5 will start on September 14 and on September 18 in the case of students from classes 6 to 10 For higher secondary students, the exams will begin on September 15.
The schedule has been prepared to ensure that all examinations conclude by September 27 (Friday). Following the completion of the exams, a five-day mid-term break was announced from September 28 (Saturday) to October 2 (Wednesday). Schools were set to reopen on October 3 (Thursday), going by the earlier circular.
However, teachers requested an extension of the mid-term break to nine days, emphasising the need for time to evaluate answer sheets and prepare examination results. They pointed out that schools are scheduled to reopen on October 3, which is a Thursday, and thereafter will close for weekend break just a day later. Citing this, the teachers suggested that if October 3 and 4 are declared school holidays, it would extend the mid-term break to nine days, giving them ample time to finish the evaluation work.
Granting the extension, the latest notification said all schools under the State School Education Department - including government, aided and also private schools from elementary to higher secondary - would remain closed till October 6 and reopen only on October 7 (Monday).