Cork councillor: Extend school holidays back to September

A Cork county councillor has called for the school summer holidays to be extended once again back to the month of September.

Independent councillor Peter O’Donoghue is calling for the education minister, Helen McEntee to now introduce regulations which would ensure that all schools, both primary and post primary, remain closed for the summer months of July and August.

Mr O’Donoghue said that he has written to the minister, asking her to introduce regulation which would make it mandatory for all schools to remain closed for the months of July and August.

“In my opinion and in the opinion of many others it makes logical and common sense to return children to school, as was traditionally done in the past, in September and not in August. I have asked the minister, that this now happen again going into the future,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

“This would benefit Irish children considerably. This would also benefit many others such as the children’s parents and extended family. It would benefit the teachers themselves as several have expressed a desire to me for schools to remain closed [until] September.

“It would also benefit the Irish economy, especially the tourism industry as it would keep the summer months free for Irish families to travel and vacation in Ireland.”

Mr O’Donoghue added: “We are seeing the reopening of schools occurring earlier in August now each year.

“This is a damaging trend in the opinion of many of my constituents, many who are parents of children attending school and some who are teachers themselves.

“Children need to have a proper break to recharge their batteries after a long year of school. By schools reopening in mid to late August this does not give children the necessary break needed. It also does not give parents or teachers the necessary break needed from school either.”