Rest is essential. Teachers and pedagogues generally agree with this. After a long and difficult year where most pupils have had to concentrate a lot on their work, there is consensus on the need to relax and take advantage of their free time to do pleasurable activities. However, some of them also point at the necessity of keeping in touch with school by sparing some time on a daily basis for a bit of work.

?Holidays are sometimes very long especially the summer ones because of the Cambridge exams that must be held quite early. So homework is a must during these holidays, ? said Prem Burton, the former director of the Private Secondary Schools Authority (PSSA). ?Of course, pupils need some rest and they should take a break during the Christmas and New Year period but they must also do some work, ? he adds.

The type of work recommended by the educationist is ?reading and some remedial work. Whatever the class, the child must do some homework so that he can keep in mind what he has been taught during the year and is not completely lost when he resumes school in January?.

The idea here is to stimulate the pupil to think about what has been learnt already. However, the need to spread out this work is very important. It is not worth the effort of forcing the child to work for two full months throughout the whole day. Children could then develop a mental block against schoolwork and the consequences could be disastrous for the rest of their school career. ?Pupils may keep some time in the morning when their minds are fresh to do some work and spend the rest of the day on healthy activities, ? Prem Burton advises. The role of homework during holidays being only to keep the brains working, there is no reason for putting pressure on children.

Some pedagogues see holiday work as a way of catching up - especially for children who may have had some difficulty during the year ? and feeling more confident at the beginning of the following year.

Some pedagogues see it as a way of catching up ? especially for children who may have had some difficulty during the year ? and feeling more confident at the beginning of the following year. But others believe that holiday work can only reduce their self-confidence and make them feel even less comfortable at school.

George Easton, a French teacher at Piton State School, is not adamant on this issue, ?I am not advocating idleness ? whether for teachers or pupils ? but I am in favour of relaxation and entertaining activities that are culturally enriching and capable of favouring talents and discovering the world around?.

Although he in no way recommends a radical break, he nevertheless favours the idea of scout camps, Christmas carols, and spontaneous guided visits to museums, libraries and historical sites for instance. ?All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, goes the saying. Why should we overburden children with formal homework during the holidays?? wonders this French teacher.

Instead of formal work, he would ?definitely lay more emphasis on pleasant reading, pantomimes, games, broad educational socialising experience which will counteract the deadening and stultifying effect of exams?. For him, only a short period of holidays should be dedicated to work so that children ?are given the opportunity to really enjoy their holidays and resume school refreshed?.

Physical activity and the contact with nature are equally important for happy, caring and balanced individuals. The holiday programme generally proposed by the ministry of Youth and Sports can offer such outdoor activities to young people.

The main problem raised by teachers and pedagogues however remains the role of parents. ?Very often, children are left on their own during holidays because both parents are busy working. So children get bored and spend all their time with electronic games which can definitely be dangerous for their health if they are exposed to them for too long, ? warns Prem Burton. And George Easton adds to this, ?Children should be taught by their parents how to better plan their holidays and not end up watching TV all day long. They should be made to discriminate between profitable and useless pastimes?.

Even if children are keen on reading or doing some work, ?who will be there to advise them on the type of book they should be reading or supervise their work?? wonders Prem Burton.