Thiruvananthapuram: The General Education Department of Kerala has finally heeded mounting pressure from educators and students, postponing a Class 8 examination that had been inadvertently scheduled for the same day as state-wide Onam celebrations.

The Malayalam Paper II exam will now take place on September 1, ending days of confusion over the academic timetable.

The row stems from an administrative effort to streamline the terminal examination timetable. Education officials had initially scheduled the paper for the afternoon of August 20. However, in a bid to prevent overlapping examination slots for Classes 8, 9 and 10, the Department decided to move the test to August 21.

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That decision quickly drew criticism from various quarters. The vast majority of schools across the state were already due to hold their traditional Onam festivities on August 21. The timetable conflict was highlighted, with concerns that forcing children to sit an examination during a major cultural celebration would make the process cumbersome.

Following this, the General Education Department stepped in with a fresh directive to postpone the examination until September, ensuring that school Onam celebrations can proceed unimpeded.