Saudi Gazette The Ministry of Education is studying the holidays for the next academic year; news is that they might be shortened. However, this news has not been very well-received by parents and students, and they have expressed their sheer disappointment on it. Parents, students, and teachers object to the reduction in the number of days they get off throughout the year. The short breaks in between working sessions re-energizes everyone from parents to students, educators to workers. Teachers claim that repetition of the same routine becomes monotonous for them and the students, and a break is necessary; otherwise, children will lose interest in academics. Some educators said that the the summer vacation of the last two years is already tight due to Ramadan as it falls in the middle of the vacation. Teachers prefer to stay at home and indulge their selves in worship instead of going abroad and vacationing. Hence, shorter summer vacations will ruin the break. “I was surprised and disappointed when I heard the news that the Ministry of Education will shorten the school holidays. We desperately wait for the holidays to rest and to catch up on sleep and social commitments. During school days we wake up from dawn prayer to get ready for school that starts so early in the morning and we do not return home until after one o'clock in the afternoon. “We deserve a break in between school semesters and a long summer holiday. Those in authority should conduct a survey among the students to elicit their opinions on school holidays before making any changes,” said Fahd Al-Mutairi, a student. “Parents endure a lot of hardship and pressure every day to make sure that their children get to school on time and they prevent their children from school absences with no sensible reason. We have a hard time as it is getting through the year, so adding more school days will only exacerbate students' frustration and exhaustion. One week for the winter break and another week for the spring break, as is the case this year, is quite reasonable and gives families a wonderful opportunity to release stress, visit friends and relatives, travel, and shop,” said a father, Fahd Al-Anzi. One Saudi citizen looks at school holidays from another perspective and he thinks that school holidays have constructive social and economic benefits for the nation. “School holidays encourage local tourism which no doubt boosts the nation's economy. Most major cities organized entertaining activities, such as the food festival and shopping festival which attracts thousands of delighted visitors. A bit of fun and recreation in between studying kills boredom and allows both students and teachers to return to their classrooms with renewed energy and lifted spirits,” Abdullah Al-Harthi told Al-Watan Daily. __
