Last school day - What is important for the start of holidays in the Southwest
On Wednesday, pupils and students in Baden-Württemberg will hear the school bell ring one last time: The last school day before the summer holidays will see certificates being handed out at schools in the southwestern region. After that, there will be several weeks of freedom. Here are five things that are important at the beginning of the summer holidays:
How long is the break?
When the school bell rings for the last time at around 5,300 schools in Baden-Württemberg on Wednesday afternoon, around 1.5 million girls and boys, as well as around 140,000 female and male teachers, will begin their summer holidays. These holidays will last for six weeks this year as well. Although the school year ends two days later in Bavaria, all pupils and students in Germany will be on holiday at the same time for a few days. The first school day in the new school year will be on September 9 in the southwest.
What about traffic?
Those who start their summer vacation directly will have to reckon with heavier traffic jams. "Germany as a whole is on holiday then, so we can expect the strongest traffic congestion from the busiest summer weekend," said Holger Bach, department head for traffic and environment at the ADAC Württemberg automobile club, in a statement.
The first waves of the traffic jam are expected to be noticeable on the autobahns in the southwest from Wednesday. The strongest dust load is expected on Friday and Saturday. "Flexible holidaymakers should ideally start their holiday in the first week of the holidays on Tuesday or Thursday," Bach advised.
The ADAC lists the A5 (Karlsruhe-Basel), the A6 (Mannheim-Heilbronn-Nuremberg), the A7 (Würzburg-Ulm-Füssen/Reutte), the A8 (Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Munich), and the A81 (Stuttgart-Singen) in both directions, as well as the Stuttgart metropolitan area, as particularly congested stretches.
Moreover: Pupils from Baden-Württemberg who have made it across the border can save money on fuel. For example, diesel can be saved around 20 cents per liter in Austria. In France and Switzerland, however, diesel is relatively expensive, as data from the EU Commission and the Touring Club Switzerland show. It pays to fill up before crossing the border, especially for diesel drivers.
What is offered in summer schools?
For girls and boys who still have a catch-up requirement in certain subjects or in the German language, the country usually offers a one-week so-called summer school towards the end of the summer holidays. At 69 locations throughout the country, girls and boys can make up their scholastic deficits in German, math, and sometimes even English. There is also a framework program with external partners such as sports clubs, cultural institutions, or nature conservation organizations.
What tasks does politics have?
Culture Minister Theresa Schopper (Greens) also looks forward to her holidays after handing out her certificates on Tuesday: "I believe I have earned my few weeks of vacation."
However, education unions are giving the minister a series of homework assignments for the holiday period. The Philological Association, which represents gymnasium teachers in the southwest, is calling for more time for girls and boys and for the teaching profession through a reduction in bureaucracy and administrative tasks. In addition, Schopper is urged to make long-term personnel planning for the return to the nine-year gymnasium. The chairwoman, Martina Scherer, emphasized this.
The head of the Association for Education and Training (VBE), Gerhard Brand, called for a stronger involvement of parents' homes in the education of their children. "When it comes to fulfilling certain social requirements, tasks are often delegated to kindergartens and schools without involving parents," Brand said. In addition, the Minister should pay more attention to the health of teaching staff. "More and more teachers are reaching their physical and psychological limits in their daily school life," Brand said. It requires relief from additional tasks.
What do holidays mean for referendaries?
With the beginning of the summer holidays, the training also ends for many referendaries. According to GEW, most of them will not be employed until the new school year - and therefore not paid during the summer holidays. Around 4,000 prospective teachers are affected by this, according to GEW. "The red-green state government once again shows itself as an employer who has not recognized the signs of the times with this disrespectful behavior," criticized the GEW chairwoman Monika Stein. The Ministry of Culture emphasized that the payment also ends after the end of the referendary. Temporarily employed teachers have been paid over the summer holidays since last year.
- Theresa Schopper, the Culture Minister in Baden-Württemberg, is excited for her upcoming summer holidays, having handed out certificates on Tuesday before the break.
- Despite looking forward to her holiday, Schopper has been given several tasks by education unions to complete during her break, such as reducing bureaucracy for teachers.
- Gerhard Brand, the head of the Association for Education and Training (VBE), also highlighted the need for stronger parental involvement in children's education and paying more attention to teachers' health during the vacation.
- The summer holidays also mark the end of training for many referendaries, with around 4,000 prospective teachers not expected to be employed or paid until the new school year begins.
- This situation has been criticized by the GEW chairwoman Monika Stein, who calls it disrespectful behavior from the state government.
- For those starting their vacation directly after the last school day, heavier traffic jams are to be expected, especially on popular routes like the A5, A6, A7, A8, and A81.
- The ADAC Württemberg automobile club advises flexible holidaymakers to start their trips in the first week of the holidays, either on Tuesday or Thursday, to avoid the worst of the traffic congestion.
- Pupils from Baden-Württemberg who travel across the border can save money on fuel, with diesel costing around 20 cents per liter less in Austria compared to Germany or France.
- Summer schools offer opportunities for students who need to catch up in certain subjects or in the German language, with one-week programs available at 69 locations throughout Germany, including sports clubs, cultural institutions, and nature conservation organizations.
- In Bavaria, the school year ends two days later than in Baden-Württemberg, but pupils and students in both regions will still enjoy a few days of vacation together at the same time.
- The first school day in the new school year will be on September 9 in the southwest of Germany, marking the end of the summer holidays and the beginning of a new academic year.
