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Moses Kapkiai: Break good for students
Students going home for midterm break walk along Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi on June 2, 2021.
What you need to know:
- During the break, they get their stress levels lowered, breathe some relief and indulge in self-reflection, which makes them re-energised on return to school.
The learners are going through an unprecedented crash academic programme to make up for the lost time last year.
Secondary and primary school students returned to school yesterday after they broke for half term last Wednesday. The students were back home for a holiday of up to seven days barely three weeks after they resumed school on May 3 to commence their third term studies, not forgetting last year’s 10-month break due to Covid-19.
Parents have, hence, complained about the midterm break, terming it unnecessary, costly and overburdening, a waste of time, too soon after a long holiday, exposure of children to Covid-19 and erosion of the quality of education, among other reasons.
Their fears may be valid. However, the students are going through an unprecedented crash academic programme to make up for the lost time last year.
This calls on parents to be more concerned about students’ mental health. During the KCSE examinations, a student in West Mugirango Constituency, in Nyamira County, collapsed after a mathematics paper. The student may have had a pre-existing condition but the pressure of the exam acted as a catalyst.
Mid-term breaks, whether after a short or long period, are critical for students’ mental health. Research has shown that giving students a break in between classes or away from the school environment enhances their retention capacity when they resume classes. During the break, they get their stress levels lowered, breathe some relief and indulge in self-reflection, which makes them re-energised on return to school.
The big picture of the changed academic calendar is to restore the status quo and enable students to complete their studies as anticipated before the Covid-19 disruption. Furthermore, these are unprecedented times of schooling in the midst of a pandemic, and a crash programme without a break can easily hike the prevailing stress levels.
Among the many benefits of mid-term breaks are better mental health, decompression, reduction in stress and anxiety levels, good physical health and bonding between parents and children.
