Kerala shut schools and colleges Monday after students asked for time off to watch the Argentina-Spain World Cup final. The match starts 12:30 a.m. IST.
Kerala declared a holiday Monday for all schools and higher education institutions after student requests, officials said. The state's General Education Minister N Samsudheen announced the decision for schools via social media. Higher Education Minister Roji M John separately declared a holiday for colleges and professional institutions, including professional colleges, under the chief minister's direction.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan said students raised concerns about attending classes after staying up late to watch the match. The final, Argentina vs Spain, starts at 12:30 a.m. IST Sunday night. Regulation time would end around 2:30 a.m., with extra time and penalties extending it further, he noted. "Children were asking how they could go to school after losing sleep watching the match. In this situation, the government has decided to declare a holiday," Satheesan wrote in a Facebook post.
Earlier, former Education Minister V Sivankutty urged the government to declare a holiday, suggesting a lost working day could be compensated by making a Saturday a working day. Several UDF leaders made similar requests. The ministers involved are known football enthusiasts and have posted support for their teams during the tournament.
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