Around the globe, in most countries, they offer the school holidays which are for two months or else, more in the summer. While the extended breaks bring in several educational and personal benefits, there are also arguments for shortening them to improve learning outcomes and social development.
One main advantage of the extended holidays is that they give students more opportunities to rest not only physically but also mentally. After all the exhausting time periods during a semester, the students are well-deserved for a lengthy vacation. During the vacation, in the aspect of educational benefits, they can participate in the volunteering work which will play a crucial role in applying to their dream universities in future as it can specifically contribute to their application portfolio. They can also engage in hobbies such in ways, for instance, attending a cooking or music course, or doing sports. This will allow them to acquire fresh new skills that will foster creativity and life skills that cannot always be developed in the classroom even if they do not directly associate with the future career. Furthermore, long holidays enable families to spend more quality time together , strengthening emotional bonds that are often neglected during their busy schedules. In addition, this can be achieved not only by spending time at home but also by travelling to new places together.
On the other hand, some critics argue that shortened holidays are more beneficial for academic performances. In comparison to prolonged holidays from the school, they allow students to maintain their consistency in learning without having many gaps in terms of studies. Moreover, it is said that a student’s performance skills can fairly drop if they spend much time outside the academic environment. A long gap between terms can cause the student to forget what they have learned, especially in core subjects such as mathematics and languages. That being said, the teachers may be required to spend several weeks reviewing old materials when school resumes, leading to a decline in learning efficiency. To add on, long holidays can create some challenges for working parents in terms of child care, particularly for those who tend to work full time in urban areas. So, shorter and more frequent breaks give a more practical approach, allowing consistent learning while still giving the children adequate rest.
To conclude, while long holidays can provide valuable opportunities to rest, explore and strengthen family connections, they may also disrupt learning continuity and create logistical problems for the parents. All being considered, moderately long breaks with shorter term breaks may offer the most beneficial for both academic and personal development, providing the balance solution among the arguments.