Bihar Schools shift to 6-hour Day: Timings reduced Amidst Chief Minister's assurance

The Education Department in Bihar has reduced the school timings from 8 hours to 6 hours per day.

The announcement came soon after the state’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar assured the state assembly that the existing school duration would be reduced.

Following the new timings, government-run schools will function from 10 am to 4 pm.

A circular issued by the Director of Secondary Education, Kanhaiya Prasad Srivastava, stated that the new timings will be effective immediately.

The revised timings from 9 am to 5 pm were introduced in November last by the education department which was brought into effect from December 1, 2023. 

Along with outlines for new class hours, guidelines regarding disciplinary action against teachers failing to follow the revised schedule were also released by the department.

The Chief Minister announced uproarious scenes in the assembly by opposition members who were protesting the previous school timings, which they referred to as “inhuman.”

The Chief Minister agreed with the opposition’s concerns and said that the school timings should be from 10 am to 4 pm only and not from 9 am to 5 pm.

He immediately called the competent officer of the department and directed him to change the timings.

It is to be noted that the previous timings were issued by the then-education minister Chandra Sekhar of the RJD when the JD(U) was in Mahagathbandhan.

The education department issued the new timings for the schools in November last year, which came into effect on December 1, 2024.

Under the new schedule, classes will be held between 10 am and 12.50 pm, followed by an interval between 12.50 pm and 1.30 pm, and then the remaining four classes from 1.30 pm to 4 pm. 

The classes previously started at 9.30 am and ended at 3.30 pm with an interval period from 12.10 pm to 12.50 pm.

According to a circular issued by the Director of Secondary Education, the new timings will be followed with immediate effect.

The CM earlier spoke to the state assembly assuring that the eight-hour school duration from 9 am to 5 pm in government-run institutions will be reduced by 2 hours.