Are Frequent Short Holidays Better Than One Long Holiday Break?

Name: Mahesa Nala Anindito
Class: Grade 9

Before expressing my opinions on this matter, I’d first like to introduce the concept of school breaks in the school year. School breaks are another word for holidays, and in this case, short holidays —which I define as a break around 1-2 weeks— have a meaning of short breaks interspersed throughout the whole school year. On the other hand, one long holiday break—defined as a break of more than a month, usually spanning to three — exists as the holiday that awaits students when the school curriculum is over.

I personally believe that a singular long holiday would be more efficient than frequent short ones. I strongly believe that a long holiday presents students with more time on their hands to do many personal activities, especially vacations. Furthermore, compared to many short breaks throughout the year, many students would have a gratification for their work in school; in a way, they have “something to look forward to” — similar to when someone longs for a saturday during the week. If schools around the world opt for short breaks, they won’t have that same feeling of motivation and gratification, and once students finish their school year, they won't have an appropriate break to prepare them for the next school year.

Some people say that a drawback from long holidays is that: once the students return to their studies, they’ll forget most of the things that they’ve learned. They fear that after students have been long ensconced in the comfort of their home, they won’t be able to remember their studies.  However, they tend to forget that this holiday does not happen in the middle of their studies, but at the very end. So, what’s the difference? I can confidently say that most students, if asked, could not recount their studies from a subject that they learned two years ago without reviewing it. Having a long holiday also does not exclude national holidays and weekends, so people whose arguments are based on how students will not be given rest are weakened — or even completely overruled —.

You can also take in evidence from the first point that I’ve previously mentioned, which is how long holidays present students with more time for vacations. Currently, a lot of students are absent from school due to being out on vacation. And that is detrimental to their studies, especially when they’re faced with an oncoming behemoth of a test that is USP. While short breaks have its positives, I think that it is an inefficient way of applying holidays to a school curriculum.

Long holidays gives students more time on their hands to do activities and a substantially bigger reward for finishing the school year. I personally believe that getting everything done first before having the appropriate gratification is the better way. And which is why I think long holidays are far superior than short holidays.