Published: July 14, 2025
Kerala Extends School Hours and Adds Working Saturdays
The Kerala General Education Department has released a revised academic calendar for the 2025–26 school year, introducing longer school hours and select working Saturdays for high school students. This move aims to ensure at least 1,100 instructional hours annually for Classes 8 to 10. Students will now spend an extra 15 minutes each in the morning and afternoon on all working days except Fridays, and six Saturdays have been added as class days, bringing the total working days for high schools to 204.
This decision follows an August 2024 Kerala High Court ruling that invalidated the previous calendar with 25 working Saturdays due to procedural lapses. An expert committee then recommended limiting working Saturdays to one per month, which the government adopted. While the policy aligns Kerala with national and state education standards, it has sparked protests from some groups concerned about its impact on religious education schedules. The government, however, maintains that the new timetable is both legal and necessary to uphold educational quality.
NEET UG 2025 Counselling: Registration Begins July 21
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has announced the NEET UG 2025 counselling schedule for both State and All India Quota (AIQ) seats. Registration for the first round of counselling will begin on July 21, 2025, and run through July 28, 2025, on the official MCC website (mcc.nic.in). The counselling process will be conducted in four rounds—Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and a final Stray Vacancy round—with October 3 set as the final deadline for joining allotted medical colleges.
Round 1:
- State Quota: July 21–30
- AIQ/Deemed/Central Institutes: July 30–August 6
- Joining Deadline: August 6 (State), August 12 (AIQ)
Subsequent Rounds:
- Round 2: August 12–20 (State), August 19–29 (AIQ)
- Round 3: September 3–10 (State), September 9–18 (AIQ)
- Stray Vacancy: September 22–26 (State), September 25–29 (AIQ)
- Final joining date for all categories: October 3
Candidates are advised to keep track of updates on the official websites of their respective state counselling authorities and ensure timely registration and document readiness for a smooth admission process.
NMC Orders Mandatory Fee and Stipend Disclosure by Medical Colleges
In a major step towards transparency, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all medical colleges across India to publicly disclose their course-wise fee structures and stipend details for interns, junior residents, and senior residents. This directive follows Supreme Court judgments highlighting issues of non-disclosure and non-payment in medical institutions.
Key Points of the NMC Order:
- All private and deemed universities must disclose tuition fees, hostel charges, caution deposits, and miscellaneous charges at the pre-counselling stage.
- Medical colleges must also publish stipend amounts for interns and residents.
- Non-compliance may result in regulatory action, including show-cause notices, financial penalties, suspension of admissions, or withdrawal of course recognition.
- The NMC has provided a uniform format for fee and stipend disclosure and expects all institutions to comply within seven days of the notice.
This move is designed to protect students from hidden charges and exploitative internship policies, ensuring fairness and ethical practices in medical education.
