Future of summer holidays in danger: dispute over holiday times escalates!

Future of summer holidays in danger: dispute over holiday times escalates!

In the last few weeks the discussion about summer holidays in Germany has flared up again. While North Rhine-Westphalia's Education Minister Dorothee Feller (CDU) has brought up a nationwide proposal to redistribute school holidays, the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are clearly rejecting it. Feller describes the argument for the late start of the holidays in southern Germany as outdated and asks whether it might not be time to adjust the holiday times. But the state of Baden-Württemberg sees no reason for changes and refers to the tried and tested regulation that has proven itself in recent years. This comes from a report by Schwäbische.de out.

The dispute over holiday times has historical roots. The regulations come from the Hamburg Agreement of 1964, supplemented by successor agreements. The aim is to prevent overcrowding on transport and to minimize the burden on students on the way to school. Bade-Württemberg and Bavaria traditionally only start towards the end of the summer holidays, while NRW and other federal states, for example, have different holiday periods that alternate as part of a “rolling system”. This classification ensures a vacation that can take place between June 20th and September 15th, which has different advantages and disadvantages depending on the federal state WDR reported.

Advantages and disadvantages of holiday periods

The late summer holidays are considered advantageous by many. Four weeks of the holiday season fall during the peak travel season in August, which often means cheaper off-season prices for accommodation and more pleasant temperatures in September for families. surveys Schwäbische.de show that 79 percent of participants think the late holidays are right. Only 15 percent prefer a holiday start in June, while 6 percent are still undecided. The survey clearly illustrates that many citizens support the current system.

But supporters of earlier summer holidays also argue that students shouldn't miss the hottest days of July. In some cases, high temperatures can make learning difficult, leading to concentration problems. Feller and other representatives from North Rhine-Westphalia are pushing for a discussion in order not to make the school years too short. Nevertheless, Bavaria's Minister of Culture Anna Stolz categorically rules out any changes to the existing regulations, which is also reflected in Prime Minister Söder's continued opposition.

A look ahead to 2030

According to current planning, an agreement on holiday periods is not expected until 2030 at the earliest. Changes to the existing regulations can only be decided unanimously, which makes negotiations more difficult. Education ministers in different countries have different views on the need for adjustments. North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst supports the demand for longer school times between holidays and is already planning to advance negotiations on the holiday dates, supported by the SPD opposition.

Until an agreement is reached, the discussion about the summer holidays will continue to be a hot topic in Germany's education policy. It remains to be seen whether the summer holidays in Baden-Württemberg will start earlier in the future.