Circulars · Education Reforms
Circular 32/2026: New Curriculum Rollout and School Timetables for Grades 1 to 13 From 2027
Ministry of Education Circular 32/2026 tells schools how to set their timetables as the new education reforms roll out, grade by grade, from 2026 to 2033. It fixes which grades move to the new curriculum each year, the school hours for each stage, how many hours and periods each subject gets, and the short daily routines that schools must fit in. Parents, teachers and principals will all be affected, so this guide pulls out what each of them needs to know.
Key Facts
Circular: 32/2026, dated 28 October 2026
Issued by: Secretary, Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education
Based on: The revised National Curriculum Framework approved by the Cabinet on 28 September 2026
Applies to: Government schools and government-approved private schools, Grades 1 to 13
In force from: 2027
First O/L on the new syllabus: 2030
First A/L on the new syllabus: 2033
Which Grades Move to the New Curriculum, Year by Year
| Year | New curriculum introduced for | Grades on the new curriculum that year | Grades still on the old curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Grade 1 | 1 | 2 to 5 |
| 2027 | Grades 2 and 6 | 1, 2 and 6 | 3 to 5 and 7 to 13 |
| 2028 | Grades 3 and 7 | 1 to 3, 6 and 7 | 4 to 5 and 8 to 13 |
| 2029 | Grades 4, 8 and 10 | 1 to 4, 6 to 8 and 10 | 5, 9, 11, 12 and 13 |
| 2030 | Grades 5, 9 and 11 | 1 to 11 | 12 and 13 |
| 2031 | Grade 12 | 1 to 12 | 13 |
| 2032 to 2033 | Grade 13 | 1 to 13 | None |
The grade-by-grade lists in the right-hand columns are GovInfo.lk's reading of the circular's tables. Students on the new syllabus sit the G.C.E. Ordinary Level for the first time in 2030, and the Advanced Level for the first time in 2033.
School Hours
- Grades 1 and 2 (new curriculum, from 2027): 7.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m.
- Grades 3 and 4 (new curriculum from 2028 and 2029): 7.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
- Grade 5 (new curriculum from 2030): 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
- Secondary grades (6 to 13): 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., as set by the Ministry's Circular 2006/26 of 6 June 2006.
- Grades 3 to 5 on the old curriculum (2027 to 2029) keep 7.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. for Grades 3 and 4 and 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. for Grade 5.
Weekly Time for Primary Grades on the New Curriculum
| Learning area | Grades 1 and 2 | Grades 3 and 4 | Grade 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother language | 5 h | 5 h | 5 h |
| English (functional oral English in Grades 1 and 2) | 50 min | 3 h | 3 h 30 min |
| Second national language | 30 min | 1 h | 1 h |
| Mathematics | 3 h 10 min | 4 h 40 min | 4 h 40 min |
| Religious studies | 1 h 15 min | 2 h | 2 h |
| Basic science and environment-related activities | 4 h 35 min | 4 h 40 min | 6 h 40 min |
| Aesthetic activities | 50 min | 1 h 20 min | 1 h 20 min |
| Health and physical education | 50 min | 2 h | 2 h |
| Subject-integrated activities | 30 min | 30 min | 30 min |
| Morning assembly and religious observances | 1 h 15 min | 50 min | 50 min |
| Recess and meals | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 30 min |
| Total per week | 21 h 15 min | 27 h 30 min | 30 h |
Recess and meals are 30 minutes a day, made up of 20 minutes for the school meal programme between 7.30 and 8.30 a.m. and a 10-minute recess. The circular says teachers may use the time flexibly but must keep each subject's allotted time in mind.
Grades 6 to 9 on the New Curriculum
- From 2027, every grade from 6 to 13 must have a timetable of 40-minute periods, 8 periods a day, which makes 40 periods a week.
- The new curriculum for Grades 6 to 9 is built from modules and credits. There are 13 compulsory subjects, taught as modules with student participation, plus one elective chosen each time from a list. Schools can decide how many electives to offer based on their teachers, facilities and region.
- One credit needs 10 hours (600 minutes) of learning, including time with the teacher in class and the student's own study.
| Subject area | Periods per week |
|---|---|
| Mother language and literature (Sinhala or Tamil) | 5 |
| English | 5 |
| Mathematics | 5 |
| Science | 5 |
| Social studies (history, geography, civic education) | 4 |
| Aesthetic education | 3 |
| Health and physical education | 2 |
| Religion | 2 |
| Information and communication technology | 2 |
| Life skills technology | 2 |
| Second national language (Sinhala or Tamil) | 1 |
| Entrepreneurship and financial literacy | 1 |
| Sports, social and clubs, social service, vocational guidance and life skills | 1 |
| Elective subject or module | 1 |
| Library and reading | 1 |
| Total | 40 |
Choices students will make
- Religion: Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism or Islam, depending on the medium offered.
- Aesthetic education: one of Eastern music, Karnatic music, Western music, national dance, Bharatha natyam, drama and theatre, or art.
- Practical technical skills (elective): modules include tea manufacture, coconut manufacture, aquatic resources, gems and jewellery, and electrical and electronic.
- Other electives: additional mathematics, additional science, practical digital skills, language appreciation, and communication and media (from Grade 8).
- Vocational guidance and life skills start from Grade 7.
Grade 6 in 2027 and 2028 follows interim arrangements, using the modules prepared in 2026. Timetable instructions for Grades 10 to 13 on the new curriculum will be issued later, and the circular says so.
Daily Routines Schools Must Fit In
- Morning assembly: a 15-minute assembly once a week, which schools can adjust to their circumstances.
- Short sessions on the other four days: 10-minute sessions, including a student wellbeing programme, an activity session and a leadership training session. Students then get 5 minutes to return to class.
- Attendance: teachers get 5 minutes a day to mark the attendance register.
- Lunch break: 20 minutes for students and teachers on secondary timetables.
Parents', Teachers' and Principals' Guide
From the circular
- It replaces the earlier timetable circulars it lists (including Circular 34/2025 and several from 2006 to 2018), and applies from 2027.
- The new curriculum reaches a grade each year, so each grade has its own timetable and its own time allocation, with the old curriculum continuing for grades not yet reached.
- School hours differ by stage: Grades 1 and 2 finish at 11.45 a.m., Grades 3 and 4 at 1.00 p.m., and Grade 5 onward at 1.30 p.m.
- From 2027 the secondary timetable is 8 periods of 40 minutes a day, 40 a week.
- Schools must organise teaching in line with the subject syllabuses and modules. The National Institute of Education and the Department of Educational Publications are to supply teacher guides, module books and activity books.
- The Secretary's decision is final on any question about the circular. If the Sinhala and Tamil texts differ, the Sinhala text prevails.
Editor's guidance (general advice, not part of the notice)
The points below are general guidance by GovInfo.lk, not part of the official notice.
- Parents: find your child's grade in the year-by-year table to see which curriculum and timetable apply in 2027. Ask the school for its new timetable and the school-day finishing time before the term begins.
- Parents of Grade 5 and Grade 6 students in 2027: Grade 5 stays on the old curriculum, and Grade 6 starts the new modules, so the two grades work differently that year.
- Elective choices: in Grades 6 to 9 students choose an elective and, for religion and aesthetic subjects, a specific option. Ask the school which choices it will offer, since schools decide this based on their staff and facilities.
- Principals and timetable planners: build separate timetables for each grade and curriculum, and check 8 periods a day, the weekly routines and the break times before finalising them.
- Check the original circular for your grade. The full tables, including the old-curriculum allocations for Grades 3 to 13, are in the circular.
Always verify: this post summarises the circular. We read the Sinhala version and some figures are our own tabulation of its tables. Check the circular for the exact figures for your grade.
🇱🇰 සිංහල සාරාංශය
- අධ්යාපන අමාත්යාංශයේ 32/2026 චක්රලේඛය (2026.10.28) නව අධ්යාපන ප්රතිසංස්කරණවලට අනුව පාසල් කාලසටහන සකස් කිරීමට උපදෙස් දෙයි.
- නව විෂයමාලාව: 2026 දී 1 ශ්රේණිය, 2027 දී 2 සහ 6, 2028 දී 3 සහ 7, 2029 දී 4, 8 සහ 10, 2030 දී 5, 9 සහ 11, 2031 දී 12 සහ 2032-2033 දී 13 ශ්රේණිය.
- පාසල් වේලාව: 1 සහ 2 ශ්රේණි පෙ.ව. 7.30 සිට පෙ.ව. 11.45 දක්වා; 3 සහ 4 ශ්රේණි පෙ.ව. 7.30 සිට ප.ව. 1.00 දක්වා; 5 ශ්රේණිය සහ ද්විතීයික ශ්රේණි පෙ.ව. 7.30 සිට ප.ව. 1.30 දක්වා.
- 2027 සිට 6 සිට 13 ශ්රේණි සඳහා මිනිත්තු 40 කාලචේද, දිනකට 8ක්, සතියකට 40ක්.
- නව විෂය නිර්දේශයෙන් සාමාන්ය පෙළ විභාගයට පළමු වරට 2030 දී සහ උසස් පෙළ විභාගයට 2033 දී පෙනී සිටිනු ඇත.
🇱🇰 தமிழ் சுருக்கம்
- கல்வி அமைச்சின் 32/2026 சுற்றறிக்கை (2026.10.28) புதிய கல்விச் சீர்திருத்தங்களுக்கு ஏற்ப பாடசாலை காலஅட்டவணையைத் தயாரிக்க வழிகாட்டுகிறது.
- புதிய பாடத்திட்டம்: 2026 இல் தரம் 1, 2027 இல் தரம் 2 மற்றும் 6, 2028 இல் தரம் 3 மற்றும் 7, 2029 இல் தரம் 4, 8 மற்றும் 10, 2030 இல் தரம் 5, 9 மற்றும் 11, 2031 இல் தரம் 12, 2032-2033 இல் தரம் 13.
- பாடசாலை நேரம்: தரம் 1 மற்றும் 2 காலை 7.30 முதல் 11.45 வரை; தரம் 3 மற்றும் 4 காலை 7.30 முதல் பிற்பகல் 1.00 வரை; தரம் 5 மற்றும் இடைநிலைத் தரங்கள் காலை 7.30 முதல் பிற்பகல் 1.30 வரை.
- 2027 முதல் தரம் 6 முதல் 13 வரை 40 நிமிடப் பாடவேளைகள், நாளொன்றுக்கு 8, வாரத்திற்கு 40.
- புதிய பாடத்திட்டத்தின் கீழ் மாணவர்கள் முதன்முறையாக 2030 இல் க.பொ.த (சா/த) பரீட்சைக்கும் 2033 இல் உயர்தரப் பரீட்சைக்கும் தோற்றுவர்.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which grades get the new curriculum in 2027?
Grade 2 and Grade 6 start the new curriculum in 2027. Grade 1 began it in 2026. Grades 3 to 5 and Grades 7 to 13 stay on the old curriculum in 2027.
What time do primary school classes finish under the new timetable?
Grades 1 and 2 finish at 11.45 a.m., Grades 3 and 4 at 1.00 p.m. and Grade 5 at 1.30 p.m. Secondary grades run from 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
When will students sit exams on the new syllabus?
The first G.C.E. Ordinary Level on the new syllabus is in 2030 and the first Advanced Level is in 2033.
How long is a secondary school period?
40 minutes. From 2027 the timetable for Grades 6 to 13 has 8 periods a day, which makes 40 periods a week.
Does the circular cover Grades 10 to 13 on the new curriculum?
Not yet. It says timetable instructions for Grades 10 and 11 (new curriculum from 2029 and 2030) and Grades 12 and 13 (from 2031) will be issued later.
Source and Updates
Source: Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Circular No. 32/2026 (Ref. ED/09/12/06/14), "Fixing school timetables in line with implementing the new education reforms", 28 October 2026. View the circular (Sinhala PDF) and Tamil PDF. [EDITOR: add the date checked]
Prepared by: GovInfo.lk Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 28.10.2026
Found an error or a change in the original circular? Contact us through the Contact page and we will review and correct this post.
GovInfo.lk is an independent information website and is not an official website of the Government of Sri Lanka. Readers should verify important information with the relevant official authority or original government document.
