Guwahati, Jan. 24: The Assam government has issued a new schedule for schools in tea gardens of the state to match the school hours of students with the working hours of their parents.

According to the new schedule, classes of lower primary schools will start at 7.30am and end at 12.15pm instead of the earlier timing from 9am to 1.45pm. Similarly, upper primary schools will start from 7.30am and end at 1pm. Upper primary schools used to run from 9am to 2.30pm.

A communiqué issued by the state government this evening stated that many parents, working in the tea gardens, could not send their children to school as the work timings and school hours were different.

While parents left for work early in the morning, their children had to wait till 9am to go to school.

On other hand, by the time the parents returned from work, their children remained busy in classes. Under such circumstances many parents had stopped sending their children to schools and this had resulted in an increase in school dropouts in the gardens.

Several organisations were demanding a change of time schedule for the garden schools.

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently asked his department to work out a new schedule for the tea garden schools. The education department is also chalking out plans to introduce breakfast and special midday meals to attract children to schools.

The new schedule will not clash with the working hours of the garden workers, who start their work between 7 and 7.30am and return home by 2.30pm.