The new school term begins tomorrow (5)

The Ministry of Education has published the official announcement containing the school timetable and operational guidelines for the 2026 academic year. Considering the recent disaster situations in various provinces of the country and the resulting damage to school infrastructure as well as transport systems, the Ministry has decided not to extend school hours until these systems are restored.

Accordingly, the first school term of 2026 for government schools, government-approved private schools, and Pirivenas is scheduled to commence on January 05, and school hours for Grades 5 to 13 will remain unchanged from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

The Ministry of Education also emphasizes that the daily timetable for students from Grade 6 to Grade 13 will consist of seven 45-minute periods (Periods 7).

Under the National Education Reforms Program, new educational methodologies will be implemented for Grade 1 and Grade 6 in 2026, with formal academic activities for Grade 6 students under the new curriculum commencing on January 21. For children entering Grade 1, student identification and orientation programs will begin on January 05, and their formal academic activities are scheduled to start on January 29. The Ministry confirms that necessary activity books for these students and new learning modules for Grade 6 students have been arranged to be provided before the respective dates, and textbooks for all other grades have already been distributed.

Meanwhile, the remaining part of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination is planned to be held from January 12 to January 20, 2026. The Ministry of Education further states that a detailed circular containing all these points and guidelines is scheduled to be issued on January 02, 2026.