Education Minister, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, says school hours have been extended by thirty minutes under the new education reforms.

Speaking during a televised interview, PM Amarasuriya said the period of a lesson has been extended to 45 minutes. 

“This is to ensure that the lesson or module is taught without a rush. We have included a lot of practical activities, such as group research and presentations. The teacher must have enough time to teach the students, while the students need time to participate in these activities without a rush,” she explained. 

Revealing that it was initially proposed to operate schools from 08.00 am to 04.00 pm, PM Amarasuriya said, however, it was decided to extend the school hours only by half an hour.

She said this decision was taken after taking into consideration other logistical issues, such as transport.