Bengaluru School Timings to Remain Same? Stakeholders Reject Proposal to Change Timings

The proposal to modify the timings of schools in Bengaluru city has been overwhelmingly rejected by private management authorities, the city’s transportation department, and a number of other stakeholders. The conclusion was made during a meeting on October 9 to explore changing school hours to reduce traffic.  The meeting to address the school timing modification was originally scheduled for October 5, but it was eventually rescheduled.

The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) convened the meeting in order to address Karnataka High Court directives on changing the hours of school  in the Bengaluru Urban region. School administrations, parent groups, Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), transport department officials, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), and teachers’ associations were among the stakeholders who participated in the meeting.

According to the Indian Express, the traffic department advised against altering the Bengaluru school timing and instead urged using public transportation options, identifying traffic hotspots and stabilising the traffic surrounding schools. Currently, most private schools begin classes at 8:30 am, while government schools typically begin classes around 9:30 am.

The notion of altering school hours was rejected by private school administration. The city’s traffic, they claimed, cannot be solved by adjusting school hours, thus there must be another approach.

During the discussion, it was proposed that civic sense be made a part of the school curriculum in order to enhance student awareness. 

A hearing at the Karnataka High Court has been scheduled for today, and the education department is expected to convey the opinions expressed by various departments and stakeholders during the meeting that took place on Monday. 

Earlier this month, the Karnataka High Court advised the state government to reconsider Bengaluru school timing and corporate hours of work.   Traffic congestion has become a top issue concerning Bengaluru, one of the cities in the nation with the highest population growth, and it is a major source of inconvenience and a waste of people’s precious time.  The city’s traffic is regarded as possibly the worst or slowest in the country.