TD urges school holidays extension
Fine Gael’s Brendan Griffin said children could make up the extra days in the winter months.
In recent years, schools have begun returning at the end of August “a week that was traditionally a busy week for tourism at home”, he said.
“If schools reverted back to the later September start date, this would have a positive impact on the economy and jobs.”
The Kerry South TD, who represents some of the country’s busiest tourism towns including Killarney, Kenmare, and Dingle, said many people in the industry have raised the issue with him.
“They feel that they are missing out on a full week at peak tourist season because schools have tended to return earlier in recent years,” he said. “The general suggestion is that schools should return in the first week in September, as was the traditional time, and the extra days would be made up during the winter months.”
He raised the issue in a written Dáil question to Education Minister Ruairí Quinn who said the rules do not require that the start or end of the school year must be standardised.
However, he said primary schools must have 183 teaching days a year and secondary schools must have 167 days per year.
The scheduling of school holidays is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council.
The current agreement covers the school years 2011/12 to 2013/14 and discussions on the school years 2014/15 to 2016/17 are now taking place.
“I would be interested in hearing the views of teachers and boards of management to see if it would be possible to come to a consensus on the matter,” said Mr Griffin.
