Tamil Nadu Revises School Timetable: Physical Education Compulsory Three Days a Week

The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has released a revised timetable for schools, making physical education classes compulsory three days a week for students in Classes 1 to 10. School Education Minister Rajmohan announced the updated schedule in Chennai on October 13, 2026.

According to the revised timetable, students in Classes 11 and 12 will have physical education classes twice a week. The minister has instructed schools not to use these designated periods for teaching other subjects.

Physical Education Classes Made Mandatory

Under the new schedule, schools must conduct physical education classes as allocated. Teachers handling other subjects are not permitted to replace these periods with regular academic lessons.

The measure is intended to ensure that students receive dedicated time for physical activity alongside their academic studies.

Revised School Timings and Subject Periods

The revised timetable introduces changes to school timings and the allocation of periods for different subjects.

School timings: 9:30 AM to 4:10 PM.

Tamil and English: Four periods per week for each language.

Mathematics and Science: One additional period has been allocated to these subjects.

Physical education: Three periods per week for Classes 1 to 10 and two periods per week for Classes 11 and 12.

Changes to Class Period Durations

The revised schedule also specifies different teaching-period durations for primary and secondary classes.

Classes 1 to 5: Each period will last 90 minutes.

Classes 6 to 10: Each period will last 45 minutes.

The timetable also gives importance to TN SPARK, a programme focused on intelligence and internet-based educational tools, according to the report.

The revised schedule aims to organise classroom instruction more effectively while ensuring that physical education remains an essential part of students’ school routines.