Kerala has declared a holiday on Monday for all schools, colleges and higher educational institutions to allow students to watch the FIFA World Cup final, officials said on Sunday, PTI reported.
The decision was taken after the state government received requests from students, many of whom wanted to stay up to watch Sunday's late-night final between Argentina and Spain.
Minister for General Education N Samsudheen announced a holiday for schools through his social media accounts.
"Happy now, children?" the minister wrote.
"Considering the request of students who are football enthusiasts, the Kerala General Education Department has declared a holiday on Monday (July 20) for all schools under the department in view of the FIFA World Cup final to be played after midnight tonight," he said.
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Higher Education Minister Roji M John also announced a holiday for colleges and professional educational institutions in a separate social media post.
“On the occasion of the FIFA World Cup final, as per the direction of the Chief Minister, a holiday is declared for higher education institutions in Kerala, including professional colleges on Monday,” he said.
The minister noted that the holiday had been declared to allow students to watch the World Cup final, which begins at 12:30 am IST, without worrying about travelling to educational institutions later in the morning.
“Let's thoroughly enjoy the final!” he said.
Earlier in the day, CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty had urged the state government to announce a holiday for all schools on Monday, citing the late-night kickoff of the World Cup final.
Sivankutty said the match was expected to continue into the early hours of Monday, making it difficult for students to report to school on time.
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He also suggested that the lost working day could be made up by declaring a Saturday, which is otherwise a holiday, as a working day.
Several leaders of the United Democratic Front (UDF) had also appealed to the government to declare a holiday.
General Education Minister N Samsudheen, Higher Education Minister Roji M John and Sports Minister O J Janeesh are known football enthusiasts and have regularly shared messages on social media supporting their favourite teams during the FIFA World Cup, according to PTI.
(With PTI inputs.)
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