Vacation Time Following Söder's proposed "biorhythm" schedule?
In the heart of Europe, a contentious debate has been unfolding among German federal states regarding summer holiday dates. At the centre of the controversy are Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, who opt for a later start to their summer holidays, while the other 14 states rotate their holiday periods each year.
The tradition of late summer holidays in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg can be traced back to their Catholic Pentecost holidays, which occur earlier and ensure a later start for summer breaks to provide sufficient learning and exam time between Pentecost and summer holidays. However, this arrangement has been met with criticism from other regions due to the peak travel season prices, heavy traffic, and overcrowded accommodations that families outside these two states face during the summer holidays.
Education ministers from states like North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate argue that summer holidays should be fairly rotated among all states, not fixed for Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg alone. They contend that this fixed late start for these two southern states unfairly advantages them over the other states.
Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, however, defend their position as a longstanding tradition and part of their regional "holiday DNA." Bavarian Premier Markus Söder has explicitly dismissed calls for change, justifying the late start of holidays by stating it is "rooted in the DNA of Bavaria." Söder also argues that they pay financial equalization to most of the countries to offset any potential disadvantages.
Union representative von Malottki, however, criticizes early holiday starts, stating they serve only "economic interests" and neglect the well-being of students and teachers. The teachers' union in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has also criticized Söder for his statements in the dispute.
The regulation for summer holiday dates in Germany, which grants Bavaria a special status, was established in 1971. At the time, agriculture played hardly any role.
This ongoing dispute highlights the challenge of balancing regional traditions, education needs, and equitable travel conditions across Germany's states. Advocates for late summer holidays in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg argue that starting summer holidays as early as July would create too short gaps between holiday blocks. On the other hand, the North German teachers' union finds Söder's statements unacceptable and demands a fundamental reform.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether a compromise can be reached that satisfies all parties involved. For now, the future of summer holidays in Germany remains uncertain, with tensions persisting between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the other federal states.
- The dispute over summer holiday dates in Germany is not only about regional traditions but also involves education-and-self-development, as some states argue that a uniform rotation of holidays would ensure fairness in learning time between Pentecost and summer holidays.
- The ongoing debate over summer holidays in Germany has extended to politics, with Union representative von Malottki criticizing early holiday starts as serving only "economic interests" and neglecting the well-being of students and teachers, while Bavarian Premier Markus Söder has justified the late start of holidays by stating it is "rooted in the DNA of Bavaria."
