By Mubanga Mubanga
The National Action for Quality Education (NAQEZ) has urged the Ministry of Education to consider revising the one-week holiday given to the students for this first term owing to the dire economic, social and academic repercussions of such a short break.
In a media release, NAQEZ executive director Aaron Chansa argued that the short break would subject parents to financial pressures, with the students suffering stress.
“After meticulously scrutinising the 2024 academic calendar and fully grasping the dire economic, social and academic repercussions of a mere one-week holiday, the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) fervently appeals to the Minister of Education to extend the 2024 Term 1 (one) holiday from one week to two weeks,” Chansa stated. “A solitary one-week holiday will subject parents with children in boarding schools to untold financial pressure,* while learners will suffer from heightened social and emotional strain as a result of relentless back-to-back travel commitments.”
He stated that the break for only a week would not enable teachers and learners rejuvenate both psychologically and physically.
“Thus compromising their readiness for Term Two, with inevitable deleterious academic consequences for the entire education sector. The one-week holiday will have telling academic outcomes for the sector,” Dr Chansa argued. “Since the August holiday has four weeks, adjusting the holiday for Term One from one week to two weeks will not in any way affect educational programming for 2024. If anything, it is good for everyone – parents, learners and teachers.”
He stated that he was hopeful that the Education minister would grant this impassioned appeal by Zambians as this is the resounding desire of the vast majority of parents, teachers and learners across the nation.
