Minister of Education not to propose change to school summer holidays

"Children are entitled to long vacation when days are lighter"

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Finland's Minister of Education Tuula Haatainen (SDP) does not intend to make a proposal to put back the beginning of summer holidays in schools.
      Haatainen argues that all children are entitled to a long summer vacation when the days in Finland are generally longer and lighter. "After all, the evenings are getting darker already at the end of August."
     
"My decision is based on children's interests", said Minister Haatainen in a press conference in Helsinki on Monday.
      Demands to put back summer holidays are based on the fact that parents typically start their vacations at Midsummer. The Minister says, however, that it is difficult to totally match up both vacations, and in any case, parents have shorter summer holidays.
      Another reason to maintain the current holidays is the fact that when compared internationally, the present arrangement has produced good learning results.
      The proposal to postpone the beginning of school summer holidays by two weeks that was made by Kirsi Lindroos, the Director General of the National Board of Education, would affect too many things, according to the Minister. For example, the entrance exams of universities would need to be held a month later.
     
On the other hand, winter breaks are to be regionally more evenly staggered in various provinces. Once the Act on Basic Education has been amended, winter breaks will fall on three weeks. The arrangement is to make the peak period at the turn of February and March less crowded, with fewer people on holidays at the same time. At present, nearly half of all school pupils are on vacation during Week 8, and only around 20% during Week 10.
      The proposal of the Ministry of Education also includes a recommendation to start schoolwork as soon as possible after the New Year. At present some schools only restart in the second week of January. This change would free up some holidays to shorten the spring and autumn terms. The recommended length of both the Easter holiday and Autum Break is three days.
     
Under the Basic Education Act, Finnish comprehensive schools have a total of 190 working days in a school year. The beginning and distribution of these days is decided by the municipal board responsible for education, or by the board of an individual school. Schoolwork ends on the last weekday of Week 22. In 2005, this falls on June 4th.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Timing of school summer holidays may be changed in future (5.8.2004)

Links:
  The National Board of Education
  The Ministry of Education

Helsingin Sanomat