Private schools suspend classes for a week to evaluate and make plans
The “mid-term” holiday renews the demand to redistribute learning days
Parents are calling for a review of the school calendar.
archival
Private schools decided to suspend studies for a whole week, starting from next Sunday to Thursday, October 21, which renewed the demands of students to reconsider the school calendar, and reduce the duration of the school year, while preserving the actual learning days (school days), and reducing the number of days Vacations, while schools described the decision as a mid-term vacation, to provide an opportunity to evaluate students and develop individual learning plans for them.
In detail, the students of: Mohamed Salah, Ayman Fawaz, Shaima Abdullah, and Nadine Khairat demanded to reduce the periods of school breaks, noting that the students returned a month and a half before the summer vacation, which amounted to 60 days, demanding the cancellation of such vacations, and the addition of these days. To the summer vacation, especially since students do not attend fully in schools, as most schools apply the education system in rotation, which means that students go to school half the time, and there was no need to stop studying for a week.
And they told "Emirates Today" that, under the circumstances of the "Corona" pandemic, the actual school days must be redistributed, so that the time of the school year is shortened from 10 months to eight, and thus the school year ends quickly, without prejudice to the established scientific material, noting That shortening the time of the school year is a precautionary measure that reduces the chances of infection spreading among students.
They explained that the large number of vacations threatens the spread of the “Corona” virus among students, as the vacations encourage families to travel, go out and move a lot, which increases the chances of infection with the “Covid-19” virus, and then return again to schools, especially since schools did not require an examination. PCR” before returning to school seats, and it is sufficient for the student to have an examination that has not passed 30 days.
While teachers: Mohamed Shawky, Manal Obaid, Maha Al-Suweif, and Reem Saleh confirmed that, far from the precautionary measures associated with the “Covid-19” pandemic, the repetition of vacations during the school year “causes a decline in students’ motivation, as the large number of vacations enters the student in the process of Inactivity, a decline in his educational level, and he needs time to regain his activity, in addition to the fact that students are absent collectively before and after long vacations, which results in a violation of the distribution of the curriculum explanation.”
They pointed out that the most prominent challenges in the three-semester system, and the large number of vacations that take place, is the interruption of students from continuing their lessons, which causes them to forget what they studied. Bad weather or emergency occasions.
They reported that the two-semester system has flexibility in time that helps compensate for such vacations, and is better in distributing curricula, improving educational outcomes, and providing sufficient time for training teachers and administrators on a regular and uninterrupted basis.
On the other hand, officials in private schools confirmed that the mid-semester vacation is not new, and is applied in British curriculum schools inside and outside the country, and its aim is to give students a chance to catch a breath, and it also gives schools a real assessment of students, and the extent to which they absorb their academic lessons, as they are preceded by tests Determining a level, based on the results of which, individual plans are developed for students to support weaknesses and strengthen their academic skills.
For its part, the Department of Education and Knowledge reported, on its official website, that the school calendar for the current academic year stipulates that students start working in the first semester on August 29, 2021, and that the first semester leave will be “winter vacation” (three weeks) in The period from December 12 to 30, and students return to start the second semester on the second of next January, and the spring vacation will be for three weeks from March 27 to April 14, noting that the return of students to start the third semester is April 17, on the The last school day for students will be on the third of next July, noting that the school calendar is not less than 175 days in one school year.
• 175 days as the minimum actual teaching days.
teachers:
The two-semester system is better in distributing curricula and improving educational outcomes.
Private schools:
The holiday is not new and is applied in British curriculum schools inside and outside the country.
school calendar
The Department of Education and Knowledge, in the "Private Schools Policies Manual", specified the school calendar, and the minimum teaching hours, provided that it is not less than 175 days in one school year, noting that the school principal can discuss the school calendar with the department, provided that the school is committed to providing the evaluation The annual school calendar is to obtain the department’s approval within the specified period, and to inform the school staff, students and parents of the annual school calendar.
The department stressed that every school is obligated to submit its school calendar eight months before the start of the school year to obtain the council’s approval, provided that schools abide by the decisions issued by the department in relation to the school calendar, so that it should include official holidays, such as Islamic holidays and the National Day of the State. School holidays are “study holidays.” Schools are also obligated to standardize school leaves according to the vacation periods mentioned in the Council of Ministers’ decision, and the regulations issued by the Council.
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