Qatar teachers push for longer summer break

With Ramadan and Eid falling squarely in the summer months this year (the UAE estimates fasting starts July 10), teachers in Qatar who feel cheated out of their holiday break are asking for a shorter school term.

According to Al Raya, administrators are pushing the Supreme Education Council to move the start of the academic year from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15. They are also asking that the SEC drop the two weeks of school that teachers are required to work after the school year is over.

Mohammad Al Beloushi, an administrative coordinator, said measures must be taken to ensure teachers are not overworked. Gulf News translates:

This year, the ten day-break for Ramadan and the five-day break for Eid will fall in our summer holidays, which means that we will not benefit from 15 days off,” he said.

Al Beloushi said that the school days should be shortened by half an hour and that the periods should be put back at 40 minutes instead of the new 55 minutes. “We do need to ease physical and mental pressure on students and teachers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the SEC has been urging parents of children in independent schools to take absenteeism seriously by not going on holidays while school is in session.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Susan Kambalu