School closing time being set to 2 PM Postponed - back to 1.30 PM

As previously announced, the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, has decided not to extend school hours for the 2026 academic year, starting from the new school term. 

Disruptions and damages caused to schools and transportation systems in several provinces due to recent disaster situations have led to this decision. Accordingly, until the education and transportation systems return to normal, school hours for Grades 5 to 13 will be maintained as before, from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

Government schools, government-approved private schools, and Pirivenas are expected to commence the first school term of 2026 on January 5th. Under the revised academic structure, students from Grade 6 to 13 will have seven subject periods per day, with each period lasting 45 minutes.

New educational reforms will be implemented for Grade 1 and Grade 6 in 2026. Accordingly, formal academic activities for Grade 6 are scheduled to commence on January 21st, and the student identification process for Grade 1 will begin on January 5th. Formal classroom teaching for Grade 1 will commence on January 29th.

The Ministry stated that activity books for Grade 1 and learning modules for Grade 6 will be distributed to students before the commencement of academic activities. Textbooks for all other grades have already been fully distributed.

Meanwhile, the remaining sessions of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination are scheduled to be held from January 12th to 20th, 2026.