Kerala declares school holiday tomorrow for students to watch Fifa World Cup final

THE BUSINESS STANDARD - Education Minister N Samsudheen announced the decision through his social media accounts, saying it was made in response to requests from football-loving students who wanted to stay up to watch the final.

Earlier, several leaders of the state's ruling alliance, along with Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former Kerala education minister V Sivankutty, had urged the government to declare a school holiday tomorrow in view of the final.

Sivankutty said the match, scheduled to kick off early tomorrow (India Standard Time), may make it difficult for students to attend school on time.

He also proposed making up for the lost instructional day by declaring a Saturday, which is normally a holiday, a working day.