Kerala School Timing Row: Sunni Leader Challenges Speaker

In a heated response to recent remarks by Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, prominent Sunni leader Nasar Faizy Koodathai urged religious leaders to reconsider their stance on school timing changes. Shamseer, addressing a program in Kannur, emphasized adapting to contemporary needs, which Koodathai sees as a deliberate agenda-driven revival of a settled issue.

Appearing on a TV channel, Koodathai—affiliated with the Samastha Kerala Jam'eyyat ul-Ulama—expressed suspicion over Shamseer's intentions. The organization's protest against the government's 30-minute extension of school hours, implemented after a court ruling, persists, though they avoid public agitation to prevent communal tension.

Despite Education Minister V Sivankutty's insistence on maintaining the extended hours for broader student interests, Koodathai accuses the government of giving the issue a communal tint. He believes the Speaker's comments may be politically motivated, reopening a sensitive topic for strategic purposes.

(With inputs from agencies.)