In 2016, P.T. Suresh, father of two school going children and a civic citizen approached the Hon'ble Kerala High court to ensure that his children had been getting the minimum working days in school as guaranteed under the Right of children to free and compulsory education Act, 2009.  As per the Act, schools are required to work for 200 working days for primary level and 220 working days for upper primary level as per the schedule annexed to the Right of children of education Act, 2009. All the schools have to strictly comply with the norms and standards set forward in the Schedule of the Act. The Hon'ble Kerala high court directed the state government to ensure 220 academic days, excluding the examination days and co-curricular activities, in schools. But still this mandatory requirement is violated by the majority of the schools.

The schools are bound to meet the criteria of Eight Hundred instructional hours per academic year for first standard to fifth standard and one thousand instructional hours per academic year; for sixth to eighth standard. If the schools are not working for the mandatory working days in an Academic year it may be a ground to withdraw their recognition by the recognizing authority. Once the recognition and affiliations are withdrawn the school will not be able to function legally. Any such action of functioning will be met with fine.

The legislature has given strong weapons in the hands of the children and parents to improve the quality of education. But due to the unawareness and hitch to question the school authorities no one takes the initiative.

Majority of the schools are not complying with this norm and their contravention was simply ignored by the parents. Curriculum is planned keeping in view the number of working days and instructional hours. As these schools are not following the time frame either they have to skip some portion of the curriculum or make a rush to finish the portions. This ultimately leads to the degradation of the quality of the education imparted by schools, especially private schools. In spite of paying exorbitant school fees parents have to rely on private tuitions for maintaining the quality of education of their child.

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