For lakhs of students, the morning school bell is set to ring early from March 16 as half-day schools come into effect. With March 15 being a Sunday, the half-day schedule will begin from March 16. Schools will operate from 8 am to 12.30 pm, and mid-day meals for students in government and local body schools will be served at 12.30 pm.
Schools that are designated as centres for the SSC Public Examinations will operate from 1 pm to 5 pm as the examinations will be conducted in the morning session. In such government schools with Class X exam centres, the mid-day meal will be served first, followed by classes. After completion of the exams, these schools
will function as usual from 8 am to 12.30 pm. The schools will have summer vacation from April 24 to June 11, and they will reopen for the new academic year 2026-27 on June 12.
Meanwhile, the School Education department has tweaked the timings of Urdu medium schools and district institutes of education and training in wake of Ramzan. These institutions have been given the flexibility to operate from 8 am to 1.30 pm from February 19 to March 20. To compensate for the loss of classwork, the schools have to run additional classes, one hour a day for upper primary and high schools and half an hour a day for primary schools, after the festival.