Schools told not to use PE periods for Grade 10 extra classes following KSCPCR intervention

Bengaluru, Nov 30: The department of school education and literacy has directed all high school teachers and principals across the state not to disrupt physical education and games periods for Class 10 students by conducting additional classes during that time.

The directive follows a letter from members of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) highlighting the lack of sports and physical education sessions for Class 10 students.

KSCPCR member K T Thippeswamy said, “Last month, I visited several schools and interacted with Class 10 students. Many of them told the commission that they were not allowed to play during sports periods, nor were physical education classes being conducted. Subject teachers have been using these periods to run extra classes to finish the syllabus.”

He added, “This is very disappointing because physical activity is as important as academic preparation for board exams. Students are already under immense pressure from parents to score high marks in SSLC. Therefore, I wrote to education commissioner Vikas Kishore urging him to issue an order preventing the use of PE periods for extra classes.”

Even as the department stresses strict compliance for the welfare of children, teachers are facing pressure to complete the syllabus by December 15, 2025.

A teacher from a government high school on the outskirts of Bengaluru said, “Due to the extension of the socio-economic survey, we lost a significant amount of class time. As a result, we are under pressure to finish the syllabus by December 15. This deadline may be extended by another ten days, but not beyond that. So we are compelled to conduct additional classes for 45 minutes each in the morning and evening. Weekend classes will depend on teachers’ availability.”