🏫 No Extension to School Hours for 2026: Sri Lanka Ministry of Education Issues New Guidelines
By Lions Roar News Education Desk
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (January 1, 2026) — The Ministry of Education has officially decided not to extend school hours for the 2026 academic year, reversing a previous proposal to lengthen the school day.
In a special statement issued tonight, the Ministry clarified that the current school schedule will remain unchanged until further notice. This decision comes in response to the severe damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah to the national school infrastructure and transport networks in several provinces. The government stated that extending hours is currently impractical as many regions are still struggling to restore basic transport services for students and teachers.
A comprehensive circular detailing these arrangements is expected to be released tomorrow, January 2.
⏰ Key School Hours & Dates for 2026
While the proposed 2:00 PM closing time has been scrapped for now, the Ministry has finalized the schedule for the upcoming first term:
- Standard School Hours: For Grades 5 through 13, school will continue to be held from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
- Term One Start Date: All Government and Government-approved private schools, as well as Pirivenas, will begin the new term on January 5, 2026.
- Class Structure: Grades 6 to 13 will follow a schedule of 7 periods per day, with each period lasting 45 minutes.
📚 Phase 1 of Education Reforms
Despite the unchanged hours, the Ministry will proceed with the planned National Education Reforms for Grade 1 and Grade 6 starting this month.
- Grade 6: Formal academic activities under the new reform modules will officially commence on January 21, 2026.
- Grade 1: The student identification and orientation process starts on January 5, with formal classroom studies beginning on January 29, 2026.
- Materials: All activity books for Grade 1 and learning modules for Grade 6 have already been prepared for distribution. Textbooks for all other grades have been fully distributed to schools.
📝 G.C.E. Advanced Level Update
The Ministry also confirmed the dates for the remaining portion of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination, which was interrupted by the cyclone last year. The exams are scheduled to be held from January 12 to January 20, 2026.
