Make sure the school holiday gives pupils a real break
ya...xiang3 de2 me13.....

I WAS surprised to see a lot of secondary and primary school students going back to school during the week of their first-term school holidays. There were others who met up to do projects either at fast food joints or in their homes.
The reasons for going back to school during the holidays included co-curricular activities or some academic classes.
I find this very unfair to the students who are all seeking a break from nearly 10 weeks of school. (In a lot of secondary schools, the hours are almost like working hours, where they clock in days that last from 8am to 5pm or 6pm.)
What is the point of giving them a school break of a week when in that time, their break is being interrupted by some kind of school curriculum? Don't our children deserve a clean break from school?
Adults have annual leave that is our legal right. Don't our children have the same right then to be on holiday during their school break?
The education set-up, especially in secondary school and beyond, is already very stressful to the children and just like adults, they too need to 'go on leave'.
It is only during the school holidays that our children can enjoy the luxury of sleeping in longer, spending time with family members, especially with the older folk, and enjoying friendships in the neighbourhood.
There are a whole lot of other things that our children need to learn to enjoy, work at and be responsible for, other than just the school curriculum and activities. The school holidays are meant for them to do things that are essential for a holistic lifestyle.
I am sure the Ministry of Education (MOE) doesn't encourage schools to call back their students during the holidays, so maybe the ministry can help define for us the objective of school breaks.
Perhaps the objectives have changed and parents need to know about them. If there is a certain agenda to be achieved by schools during the holidays, then I would suggest that either MOE shorten the breaks or get schools to "pay back" to their students the time taken away from them when they are required to go back to school for whatever reasons.
Edward Rajeshwar Zaccheus