Macron provokes teachers with a call to cut summer holidays

Emmanuel Macron discussed the idea during a visit to Marseille in southern France. Photo: FRAT

Emmanuel Macron launched a war against the French tradition of «les grandes vacances» insists on shortening school holidays.

Mr. Macron's proposal has already caused a backlash from teachers.

The cutback Summer break will allow schools to shorten the long school days that critics have complained about for years, tiring and demoralizing students.

During a trip to Marseille in southern France, Macron said «les grandes vacances,» as the traditional school summer break is called, is exacerbating social inequalities. Children from poor families were left more or less to fend for themselves, while those who were higher in the social ladder went on vacation or summer camps.

Most secondary schools close in June, and only a few reopen until September, which means some children are out of school for up to three months in the summer.

“We cram too much into children's weeks,” Macron said while visiting a school in the French port city. “It's because they break up too early and their vacations have gotten longer in the last 20 years. If you compare them with children in neighboring countries, you can see that your children come home tired every night.”

His proposal would “better spread teaching throughout the year,” added Mr Macron, who met his wife Bridget at the age of 15 when she taught drama classes at his private school.

Mr Macron on Wednesday instructed his government to look into a major holiday overhaul without giving a timeline for any changes.

Some parent groups supported the idea. Laurent Zameckowski, a spokesman for the national association of parents with children in public schools, said: «Not everyone can pay for activities or summer holidays for their children.»

But he also criticized Mr Macron for first did not consult with his government and did not develop concrete plans before making a big statement.

Teachings are angry

Teachers' unions, as you might expect, were furious. A one-sided discussion of changes just before all the teachers went on vacation was «a sure way to piss off employees who were already tired,» said Kathryn Nav-Behti of the moderate union CFDT.

Ghislaine David of the union Another teachers' union, SNUipp-FSU, said: «Another option is to give all children the opportunity to go on vacation.»

Less than half of French people will go on vacation this summer, according to a recent Cluster 17 survey by Le Point magazine.

Ms David noted that the main «brake» to changing the length of summer holidays is neither parents nor teachers, but a tourism lobby that relied on a huge break to remain profitable.

Previous attempts to crack open the long school summer break have been met with angry protests and strikes from teachers. French teachers have longer holidays than their British counterparts, but tend to be paid less.

Some experts have also questioned the notion that shorter holidays can improve school performance and reduce inequality .

“The Germans extended the school day after receiving poor results,” said Eric Charbonnier, an education analyst at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. “There is no relationship between the number of days spent in school and school performance. The Finns are showing very good results thanks to the three-month summer break.”