The scheme to introduce a two-week winter holiday in the academic calendar does not have much support among lawmakers who believe it would cause a chaos in the nationwide school schedule.
The plan has been proposed by government bodies which cite various reasons. Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization is in favor of the plan on the ground that it would provide an opportunity for families to take a trip to the southern cities that enjoy warmer climates in the winter, thus promoting domestic tourism. It would also help distribute travel time throughout the year to avoid mass tourism in high seasons.
The Department of Environment, on the other hand, backs the scheme as a solution to the common winter-time smog in metropolises that compels the authorities to shut down schools for consecutive days both to help alleviate the pollution and protect children's health.
Not Even-Handed
Hemayat Mirzadeh, spokesman for the Majlis Education Commission, is opposed to the plan maintaining that it only serves the interests of certain regions.
"The academic calendar cannot be altered for issues that concern the climate or environmental conditions of certain cities or regions," he said, Aftab News portal reported.
According to him, if regional requirements were to be considered for the introduction of long holidays, each climatic region would need to have a separate calendar.
"This is not operational at the moment and the educational system does not appear ready for such a scheme," he said.
Besides, lawmakers believe that imposing a break in the middle of the academic year would disrupt the order of the educational curriculum.
"Even now, the academic year is halted at times for different reasons and this could negatively affect students' learning process as well as families' peace of mind," Mirzadeh said.
