Italy’s school holidays are too much of a good thing

Italian mothers complained that schools’ 14-week summer holidays are too long.

Children’s charity We World has organised a petition, calling on the government  to extend the school year so that pupils spend more time in class and less in the home.

The petition, which already has more than 60,00 signatures, is also backed by Sarah Malnerich and Francesca Fiore,  authors of the irreverent Mammadimerda (S—t Mums) blog.

Only Latvia and Malta have longer summer holidays, pointed out Malnerich and Fiore, who will be presenting the petition to the Education minister in hopes of a “serious political debate.”

Traditionally there was a long summer break so that children could help to bring in the harvest but although society has changed since then, the school year remains the same, Fiore told the Telegraph.

“I find it absurd that schools close down for three months of the year,” she said.

Family holidays lasting a fortnight or three weeks at most take only a small chunk out of those interminable 14 weeks, and there is another problem now that more Italian women work outside the home and have to arrange summer childcare.

Grandparents often come to the rescue, while some women work from home but still need to keep their children fed and occupied. Others send them to summer camps, an outlay of €1,200 per child and a financial burden for large families.

Should the campaign get results, Francesca Fiore nevertheless saw a future problem.

If children remained in school into July air conditioning would be needed.

“Hardly any classrooms have it at present,” she said.