The debate in Parliament on school vacations (see Wednesday paper) was interesting. Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel is willing to entertain adjustments to the current schedule once all stakeholders are consulted.
Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Christophe Emmanuel proposed adding April 25, 26 and 27. Also independent MP Solange Duncan said local teachers have the fewest summer days off in the Caribbean, calling four weeks unacceptable.
The minister emphasised that schedules are published three years in advance and any changes must consider the impact on parents, exams and planned activities. Deliberations for the 2025-2026 plus following two academic years will begin in 2024, so the opportunity is there and discussions on extending the summer break have started within the ministry.
However, he mentioned that there used to be a longer summer vacation but it was reduced to accommodate carnival. Mind you, this did not concern the annual festivities of St. Maarten but rather those earlier in the year of Aruba and Curaçao where many teachers hailed from.
It’s been stated in this column before, but great care must be taken not to exaggerate the number of school holidays. In recent years Emancipation Day on July 1 and Constitution Day on the second Monday of October were added, while Kingdom Charter Day in December was removed.
Considering the recent less-than-stellar exam results particularly in secondary education, the question is how many additional days would still be responsible. While one can understand a desire for more days off among staff, it regards places of learning and ultimately students come first.
