Mangaluru: The department of school education has rolled out uniform Saturday school timings across the state for govt, aided and private institutions, effective from Saturday. Under the new schedule, classes are to be held from 8.30am to 12.30pm, replacing the earlier system in which Saturday timings varied among schools.In Dakshina Kannada, however, the first day of implementation saw uneven compliance, with many students arriving around 9.30am, aligned with the old timing followed by several schools. Teachers and school representatives cited multiple reasons for delayed arrivals. Some students, particularly in govt schools, commute from distant villages using public transport, while others walk long distances. Another group of students attend madrassa classes that end at 8.30am, leaving little or no buffer time to reach their schools by the new start time.Dakshina Kannada Primary Teachers Union president Shivaprasad Shetty said the revised timing is not feasible for students or teachers. He noted that Saturday now begins an hour earlier than on usual weekdays for many schools, creating a mismatch with existing travel routines and religious instruction schedules. Teachers posted to rural schools also commute from far-off places, making the earlier reporting time challenging, he added.A high school teacher from Belthangady echoed the same concern. The teacher said, “We can start classes from 9am on Saturday and 8.30am is not possible.”While the department introduced uniform Saturday school timings to ensure a fixed start time for the mandatory online attendance system and make schedules more predictable for families, teachers said district authorities should be given the flexibility to decide Saturday timings based on local travel conditions and community needs.A block education officer said instructions about the early start were received late by senior officials, leading to gaps in communication with schools and inconsistent implementation on the first day.
