Ministry of Education Announces 2026 Academic Schedule; School Hours to Remain Unchanged Due to Recent Disasters

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Education has released the official schedule and operational guidelines for the 2026 academic year. Taking into account the recent disaster situation and the resulting damages to school infrastructure and transport systems in several provinces, the Ministry has decided not to extend school hours until these systems are fully restored.

The key directives are as follows:

School Hours and Term Start Dates

School Hours: For Grades 5 through 13, school hours will remain unchanged from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM throughout 2026.

Term Commencement: All Government schools, Government-approved private schools, and Pirivenas are scheduled to begin the first term on January 5, 2026.

Daily Schedule: For Grades 6 to 13, the school day will consist of seven periods, with each period lasting 45 minutes.

Implementation of Education Reforms The national education reform process will officially commence for Grade 1 and Grade 6 students in 2026:

Grade 6: Formal academic activities under the new reforms will begin on January 21, 2026.

Grade 1: The student orientation and identification process will start on January 5, 2026, with formal academic activities beginning on January 29, 2026.

Learning Materials: The Ministry has ensured that activity books for Grade 1 and new learning modules for Grade 6 will be distributed to students before their respective start dates. Textbooks for all other grades have already been distributed.

G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination The remaining portion of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination is scheduled to be conducted from January 12 to January 20, 2026.

A detailed circular regarding these directives will be formally issued on January 2, 2026.