Jaipur, Sept. 27 -- The upcoming academic session may begin earlier than usual, senior officials from the state education department said on Friday, adding that the department was considering beginning classes from April 1 instead of July. The proposal came up during a high-level meeting chaired by education secretary Krishna Kunal. It involved a discussion on possible challenges associated with an early start, steps to ensure smooth conduct of activities, and necessary changes to be made in the academic calendar, an official release from the department said. The decision may help government schools compete with private schools, which generally begin classes in April, a senior official familiar with the development said. "Presently, students spend weeks idle after examinations, while private schools start their sessions," said the official. Provided that textbooks were delivered on time, said the official, teachers could reasonably be expected to complete at least 20% of the curriculum between April 15 and May 1, adding that aligning the examination calendar with the schedule followed by the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) was also discussed in the meeting. It was also proposed to complete examinations by March 15, through the possible reduction in the number of internal assessments or subject papers, he added. In order to ensure the timely supply of textbooks (funded by the department) and workbooks (funded under the Centre's Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan), the official said. "We will request the Government of India to hold the Project Appraisal Board meeting in January so that workbooks can be supplied by May," he added. Private schools gain an edge over government schools through their early start, he added, which means that enrollment of Class 1 students begins earlier. "This is a challenge despite the fact that government schools have outperformed private schools in around 12-15 districts," he claimed. The official also said that convincing teachers to come out of "holiday mode" was another associated concern. Teachers' organisation representatives have cast a sceptical eye on the proposal. According to Ramkrishna Agarwal, president of the All Rajasthan School Teacher Association, such initiatives had already been unsuccessfully attempted during previous BJP governments. "Students, especially in rural areas, don't join before July. If textbooks are often unavailable even in July, how will they be provided by April? Workbooks are also usually delayed by five or six months. It's not feasible to conduct exams in March and release results in the same month," he said. Former officer bearer in Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh and retired teacher Prakash Mirshra said that the system was set in place by a complacent mental attitude. "Between April and May 15, neither students come to school nor does any study take place - the Rajasthan mindset is that the session begins in July. Private schools start their session early for fees, but the same cannot happen with government schools," he said. Officials aware of the development said a final decision would be taken after wider consultations with stakeholders, keeping in mind the logistical and academic implications. Additionally, the department is set to launch a Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) module on the DIKSHA platform next month, officials familiar with the development said on Friday, adding that the improvement of academic quality would be subject to regular time-bound review.. Education secretary Krishna Kunal said that workbooks for Mathematics, Hindi, and English for Classes 3 to 8 have already been distributed in all schools across the state, adding that an effective mechanism will be developed for teacher training, availability of digital learning material, and continuous monitoring of students' progress. Strengthening monitoring and support processes, along with enhancing social engagement with parents, will also be a priority, said Kunal....