Extend school holidays by two days at Christmas, says teachers' union

Extending the school holidays would give students and teachers more time to restrict their movements before meeting elderly or vulnerable relatives at Christmas, according to the TUI.

Serious consideration should be given to extending the school holidays by two days to give students and teachers more time to restrict their movements before meeting elderly or vulnerable relatives at Christmas. 

That's the call from Michael Gillespie, general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), who believes the "once-off" measure would be a positive sign of the Department of Education's intention to protect the wellbeing of all in the school community.