Debate about summer holidays: Too long or too little care?

Debate about summer holidays: Too long or too little care?

In Germany there is again a heated discussion about the summer holidays. While parent groups and education experts raise alarming concerns, recovery time also remains a bugbear for many. The length of the six-week summer break is particularly the focus of the debate, which seems to flare up every year. NDR reports that the deputy chairwoman of the Federal Parents' Council, Aline Sommer-Noack, sees massive organizational and financial difficulties for families. Six weeks of vacation can hardly be reconciled with the 30 average days of vacation employees have.

Parents are increasingly concerned about how they will manage the care of their children during the long period away from school. A survey by the Civey Institute shows that a whopping 71% of the parents surveyed with children under the age of 18 find the existing holiday care offers inadequate. Time online adds that only 25% of parents give a positive assessment of the care offer. Parents are particularly dissatisfied in West Germany, only 19.5% are satisfied with the situation, while in East Germany the figure is 45.5%.

Care systems under pressure

The debate shows that many parents have to sacrifice a large part of their annual leave time to look after their children. Almost half use more than 50% of their vacation, and over a third have even saved more than 75% of their vacation for childcare. daily news also reports that many single parents are particularly hard hit and the challenges are increasing significantly. Michaela Engelmeier, the CEO of the German Social Association, is in favor of a legal right to holiday care as well as free offers close to home.

The chairman of the MV State Parents' Council, Tobias Lankow, believes that the summer holidays are not too long and advocates for a longer break in order to give students the necessary rest. According to him, the focus should not be on the debate about the duration of the holidays, but on the issue of quality care. “The real challenge is to look after the children in a meaningful and educationally valuable way during the holiday season,” emphasizes Lankow.

A look at other countries and suggestions

Compared to other European nations, Germany has relatively short holiday periods. Lankow does not consider this to be effective, as many federal states are struggling to establish more flexible holiday regulations. The federal government supports the idea of ​​rotating holiday dates, which could ensure more fair conditions. Nevertheless, the CSU sticks to its role and insists on fixed holiday patterns in Bavaria, which is criticized from various quarters, such as North Rhine-Westphalia's Education Minister Dorothee Feller.

The Federal Student Conference under its Secretary General Quentin Gärtner formulated an innovative idea to support families: Better cooperation between schools, youth centers and sports clubs should create high-quality holiday offers so that children can also benefit from school in their free time. This cooperation could not only ensure care, but also prevent learning losses and promote social integration.

A changed care system is definitely on the agenda. Parents and student representatives are calling for the vacation regulations to be modernized and adjusted in order to meet the current challenges. It remains to be hoped that the discussions will not come to nothing and that the necessary changes will be implemented promptly. This is the only way we can ensure that the summer holidays are a joy and not a risk for everyone involved.