KARACHI:
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Elementary and Secondary Education Department announced plans to cut winter vacations of schools in summer zone areas of the province till any unusual change in weather conditions and reduced vacations in the winter zone. According to the department, after the Covid pandemic, the working days for the academic session 2022-23 were not sufficient to complete coursework in the schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
We have yet to see if the decision will help in completing the coursework. However, it is bound to have a harmful impact on many students’ mental health. Most students already experience stress and anxiety due to academic pressure. The absence of holidays will further exacerbate it as they will not have enough time to unwind and rest. Students residing in hostels are particularly more vulnerable as they may experience homesickness, which will affect their mental well-being and their academic performance. Constantly working without any breaks or vacations can also increase fatigue.
Vacations help reduce stress, cut heart attack risks, improve productivity, and help with better sleep. Unfortunately, though, the education department has ignored this and instead resorted to overburdening the students. If anything, this reveals the incompetency of those at the helm who have failed to acknowledge the impact this would have on students’ well-being. The officials must revisit their decision and make changes to it.
Anas Tariq
Kurram
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2022.
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