'Happy now, children?': Kerala declares school holiday for FIFA World Cup final, students get Monday off

Students across Kerala will get an unexpected day off on Monday, with the state government announcing a holiday for schools under the General Education Department ahead of the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

The Kerala General Education Department declared the holiday after receiving requests from football-loving students who wanted to stay up and watch the World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played late on Sunday night and continue past midnight.

The holiday will apply to all schools functioning under the General Education Department, according to an official statement.

General Education Minister N Samsudheen also announced the decision through his social media accounts.

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"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.

Demand for holiday

Before the announcement, CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty had urged the state government to declare a holiday for all schools on Monday in view of the FIFA World Cup final.

Sivankutty said the match, scheduled to begin late on Sunday night, was expected to continue into the early hours of Monday, making it difficult for students to attend school on time.

He also suggested that the lost working day could be compensated by declaring a Saturday, which is otherwise a holiday, as a working day.

Several leaders of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) had also made similar demands.

Ministers join football fever

Football has dominated conversations in Kerala throughout the tournament, with several ministers openly backing their favourite teams.

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 posts on social media expressing support for their preferred teams during the FIFA World Cup.