Opposition within the SPD (Social Democratic Party) in the state of NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) also backs rotation of holidays. - Opposition parties in North Rhine-Westphalia advocate for the rotation of holiday schedule
In a significant educational policy debate, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Hendrik Wüst, and the Minister of Education, Dorothee Feller, have garnered the support of the SPD opposition to challenge the current school summer holiday regulations. This move comes in response to the traditional late summer holiday start times in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, which NRW argues creates an imbalance in holiday scheduling across German states.
The dispute, centred on the arranging and scheduling of school summer holidays, has been a recurring issue due to the authority of Germany’s states (Länder) to set their own holiday dates. This leads to differences that can impact families, tourism, and travel logistics. NRW's push for change reflects a desire to break the established pattern, aiming for a more equitable distribution of holiday start times across states.
Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria, has rejected the call for a change, asserting that Bavaria's holiday rhythm is "firmly anchored in the DNA of the Bavarians." Meanwhile, Jochen Ott, the SPD state parliament faction leader, has called for new negotiations regarding the holiday rules dispute, advocating for a rotation of summer holidays for all federal states to prevent all of them from going on holiday at the same time.
The summer holiday regulations are currently set by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education, but exceptions to the coordination apply to the two southern federal states, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where students have been starting their summer holidays latest for years, at the beginning of August.
Dorothee Feller, the Minister of Education in NRW, has joined the criticism, calling for a change in the summer holiday regulations. Several other federal states have also expressed their support for the demand. Notably, Jochen Ott has warned Hendrik Wüst against being "led around by the nose" by Markus Söder, highlighting the political implications of the dispute.
The issue of summer holidays in NRW is further complicated by the frequent heat-free times due to non-air-conditioned schools, which could potentially benefit from a more balanced holiday schedule. The North Rhine-Westphalian SPD opposition supports the demand for negotiating special holiday rules to address this issue.
As the debate continues, it is clear that the regional preference and fairness in holiday scheduling among these influential German states remain at the heart of the dispute. The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education will likely play a crucial role in resolving this issue and setting a fair and equitable school holiday schedule for all German states.
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, given the ongoing politics surrounding the school summer holiday regulations in several German states. This policy-and-legislation issue, which has been raised by the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, and other federal states, is a significant general-news topic, with potential implications reaching beyond education into tourism, travel logistics, and worker safety.
