E14: Why we should’ve longer winter breaks and shorter summer breaks?
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Origins of the Summer Break — Why do we even have summer breaks?
Summer break originated in the USA when farmers required children to work in the field during the crop season in summers. Hence, there was a request to get their children a vacation in summers to support them.
This theme then propagated to Europe and other countries that have a harsher winter and a pleasant summer. It makes sense for these countries that have to face an unbearable winter for half of the year and summer is the only time that is pleasant for them.
So, people during these times pack their bags and jet off to their favorite vacation spots. Others, laze around their parks and balconies completely signing out of their offices. This phenomenon greatly benefits tourism as well. (Granting people with a break at a time that is ideal for travel)
The Idea of the Article
Declaring the entirety of May as a summer break and having a winter break from mid-November to mid-January. Get as much work done and education imparted from home in Summer and buckle up to enjoy a pleasant winter break.
Why does India need a longer winter break then?
Every country needs to pick out the lesser of the two evils, and in India’s case, Summer is more cruel. India falls into the Sub-Equatorial zone. Subtropical climates are often characterized by hot summers and mild winters.
So, my analysis here is limited to breaks for school-going children only, as the working class doesn’t have a systematic break and they are flexible according to the leave policy from their employer.
We have seen successful education delivery through the online mode working out in a time when we felt that couldn’t happen. For my proposal to work, schools should shift to online mode of teaching during the summer and complete their syllabus accordingly and revert back to the online mode once the summer subsides.
Three reasons for implementing this:
- Benefits for the Tourism Industry
- Benefits for the students
- Benefits for Winter Sports
Benefits for Domestic Tourism Industry
We have imported this concept from our colonial past. Indian courts during the British era had a summer break for their judges to escape the harsh weather and retire to their country. This has continued ever since.
India although residing in the northern hemisphere like USA and Europe, has started to experience harsher summers and pleasant winters. (Majority of India). The only viable Indian tourist destinations during this time are in the states of J&K, Himachal and Uttarakhand. These places lack quality infrastructure and are distant from the urban centers except Delhi making tourism costly and difficult.
A majority of these world heritage sites in India are located in states where travel during summers is cumbersome and tiring. Shift our travel plans to winter and then we can see a huge surge of tourism flowing to destinations in Rajasthan, Goa, Maharastra, Andaman and Kerala.
Top tourist destinations have the best months to visit in the winter but it is often the off-season for them. Somewhat Ironic!
Although a controversial figure, Harsh Goenka suggests here that the IPL must be conducted in winter. The viewing experience is not great in Summer compared to that in Winter.
India is a diverse country with different terrains. Some places would extreme weathers during both the seasons. Some definitely would have pleasant summers and harsher winters.
It is known that states of Himachal and JnK already have longer winter breaks and shorter summer breaks. Majority of India currently faces harsh summers and some-what pleasant winters. So, maybe we could try out a system that benefits the majority and providing the minority with a flexible option. Always remember the sun rises at 4:30 AM in Assam whereas it rises at 6 AM in Gujarat!
Benefits for Students
Kids are usually blamed for spending most of their time on mobile phones. However, the blame partly rests with the weather as well. Outdoor activities are highly restricted in the summer. With schools declaring a vacation, and no outdoor activities to perform, children are bound to end up lazing around with their phones. And usually to engage them, schools end up providing summer homework which is a pointless exercise, since, the break must be provided for students to explore themselves rather than be restricted again to these exercises which they still would do for the rest of the year.
So, if we can implement a hybrid system wherein, students can attend classes online in April and May, continuing offline classes afterwards instead of providing them a break where they can’t participate in outdoor activities for much of the day often being restricted to their homes.
Providing them with a longer winter break enables them to break free from their homes in the pleasant weather.
Benefits for Winter Sports
India hardly has participants in the Winter Olympic Games. A longer winter break can prompt people to discover talents in this field. These winter sport destinations in India are only open during the winters. Fresh snow and sustained cold weather being crucial for success as a winter sport destination. Although these conditions can be created, it is important to create demand as well. With these sport destinations far away from wealthy urban populations, travel becomes a costly affair.
Participation in these games although is not a necessity, I have cited it as an additional benefit here. A lot many talents can go undiscovered just because we didn’t provide the necessary conditions for them to prosper.
Drawbacks
Presence of smog across the country: Urban areas are prone to smog during the winters, making exposure to such weather risky. However, concerns are being raised and the extensive smog condition around Delhi could be brought under control with the AAP government in Punjab.
Access to online education in the country: Online education has worked out only for people with access to the internet. Most rural areas are yet to receive quality education through the internet
Accessibility to areas dependent on Tourism: Most of North Indian states of JnK, Himachal and Uttarakhand may be inaccessible and have inhospitable weather, however, these destinations are still best explored in winter with the presence of snowfall.
Although this might never be implemented any time soon, it is a thought that can be pondered upon. Please do let me know in case there are additional benefits or drawbacks of such an idea!
Sundays with DSK
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