The Ministry of Education has announced that the proposed extension of school hours will not be implemented in 2026 due to the recent adverse weather conditions affecting the country. Instead, schools will continue to operate under the existing time framework for the upcoming academic year.
School Hours for 2026
For the year 2026, the standard school hours for all government and government-approved private schools will remain 7.30 AM to 1.30 PM until further notice.
The Ministry has provided a specific breakdown for different categories:
- General Schools (Grades 1-13): operate from 7.30 AM to 1.30 PM.
- Muslim Schools (Grades 6-13):
- Monday: 7.30 AM – 1.30 PM (7 periods).
- Tuesday to Thursday: 7.30 AM – 2.15 PM (8 periods).
- Friday: 7.30 AM – 11.15 AM (4 periods).
Implementation of Education Reforms (Grades 1 & 6)
Despite the changes to operating hours, the New Education Reforms will proceed as planned for Grades 1 and 6 commencing in 2026.
- Grade 6 Start Date: Academic activities under the new reforms for Grade 6 will officially begin on January 22, 2026.
- Module Requirements: There is no change to the learning time (600 minutes per credit) or the total credits (105) required for Grade 6 students.
- Term Exams Cancelled: To cover the necessary time for modules and bridge gaps caused by the reduced hours, the First Term Examination for Grades 7-11 will not be held. Schools are instructed to use this time for academic activities.
New Teaching Workload Guidelines
The circular also revises the staff deployment and teaching period requirements for the academic staff to support the reforms.
- Teachers: Must serve 35 periods per week, with a mandatory minimum of 28 periods dedicated to the teaching-learning process.
- Supervising Teachers: Must teach a minimum of 14 periods per week.
- Assistant Principals: Must teach a minimum of 10 periods per week.
- Deputy Principals: Must teach a minimum of 08 periods per week.
Further Education Modules
For the first term of 2026, seven subjects have been introduced under the “Further Education Modules” category. This includes Appreciation of Sinhala/Tamil Literary Texts and English Literary Texts
