PANAJI
Objecting to the start of the 2025-26 academic year from April 1 for students of Classes VI to X and XII, the All Goa Secondary School Teachers’ Association (AGSSTA) has expressed concerns that it would only add to the mental stress of students who will begin their new academic year without a proper break.
“The immediate start of the academic year without a break to refresh the minds of students is going to cause mental stress and torture. Schools will also assign homework during the May vacations. The start of the academic year in April means compulsory half-day classroom instruction during the hotter month of April,” AGSSTA President Savio Victoria said, expressing concerns raised during the executive committee meeting.
He pointed out that the CBSE pattern includes assessment time in February/March, followed by two weeks of full-day holidays after exams. ICSE schools like MANOVIKAS also finish their exams by February 15, with teachers engaged in corrections and result preparation until February 28, before getting two weeks of holidays.
The Department of Education’s recent circular stated that this transition, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP), is expected to facilitate the timely completion of the curriculum.
However, the association lamented that the sudden change to an April start, without considering the views of key stakeholders such as parents and teachers, is unreasonable and incomprehensible.
“The NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023 do not mandate or suggest starting the academic year in April, nor do they require aligning the academic year calendar with the CBSE/ICSE board calendar. There is no central government law or act mandating the start of the academic year in April or making it compulsory for state boards to align with CBSE/ICSE academic calendars,” reads the statement issued by AGSSTA.
The association further urged that, in the interest of students’ holistic development, the government should retain the traditional June start for the academic year. Instead, it suggested offering optional enrichment programmes in April, such as specialised coaching camps in various sports and disciplines, coaching for competitive exams, summer vacation camps, and skill-based learning courses, rather than making academic classroom instruction compulsory.
“We are not opposing the implementation of the NEP, but we want it to be implemented in the right spirit, ensuring that it benefits students by being child-centric,” it stated.
