Teachers against changing school vacations over Covid

Three-quarters of education staff are against shortening the summer holiday, the general education union AOb reported based on a poll among its members. The Cabinet is considering organizing school holidays differently with a view to a possible revival of the coronavirus.

If the summer vacation is one week shorter, the Christmas vacation can be extended by one week. Then children miss school as little as possible if the coronavirus, which circulates faster in the winter, revives. Organizing the school holidays differently is one of the measures the Cabinet is considering if a new, dangerous coronavirus variant emerges.

But the educational staff do not think that is a good plan, according to the AOb. Some 22,000 union members completed the poll. Only 16 percent were in favor of shortening the summer holidays.

AOb chairman Tamara van Gelder calls the shifting of a holiday week "patchwork." According to her, the virus can more effectively be stopped in schools by other measures, like better classroom ventilation. According to the union, teachers should also get priority if vaccinations against the coronavirus become needed again.

Should the Cabinet nevertheless decide to extend the Christmas holidays, half of the surveyed AOb members would like that week to be deducted from the summer holidays. 32 percent said the May holidays, and 11 percent said the autumn holidays.

The Cabinet announced on Thursday that it intends to only partially close primary and secondary education in the event of a resurgence of the coronavirus. However, measures like limiting contacts and regular testing could then be necessary. The government will announce further details of its plans before the summer.