He Central Board of Directors (Codicen) will have to discuss this Wednesday what to do with the private schools that have already taken the four holidays available by law regarding the September vacation, a decision that would clash with what was agreed by the Technical inspection who recommends a whole week.
Contrary to estimates of Robert Silvacurrent president of the Codicen of the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), The highest technical inspection officials ensured that, during the month of April, when school calendars are approved, the go-ahead was already given to private primary schools to have a whole week of vacation in September.
This is one of the points presented in the report to the Codex for it to take into account in this afternoon’s discussions. With this, they ensured that the Codex dictates a resolution taking responsibility for to reverse the decision of the inspectors taken at the beginning of the year.
Where does the controversy over the September holidays arise?
Private schools have at least four days off that can be distributed during the school yearand which are usually used to extend the three days of spring break established by the ANEP —which this year are from 20 to 22 september. The problem is that the winter holidays – with the addition of one more week for sanitary reasons – meant that some schools gained holidays, while others lost these days.
The disparity in the use of holidays in private schools occurred because some institutions were going to give two weeks of winter recess instead of the only one that the calendar set for public schools; so their holidays were destined there. But as the holidays were extended, they were left with days off for you.
Other institutions, on the other hand, added a third week of extra vacation in winter —that “official” week in the calendar before they were brought forward—, in which the holiday of July 18 was included, for which reason only Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday counted as holidays.
How the change of the holidays was “exceptional”, private schools allege that those holidays should not be counted, as stated in a recent meeting with the ANEP authorities. Some also argue that they have more school days than public schools —because classes have started earlier or because they teach courses on working holidays— and that, therefore, by law they can take the entire spring week.
It is on these scenarios that the debate in the educational field begins, especially if it starts from the ordinance 14a regulation that many understand as obsolete and that, although it is being adjusted, is still in force.
“Each authorized institute will have right to fix your annual calendar and distribute your activitiesas long as it complies with the minimum number of days or hours established by the current school calendar or established by the authority for the respective year”, says article 14. The Primary technical authorities interpret that the spirit of this passage of the norm is that schools count as a base with the teaching load of the public and no less. From that base, they have their power to maneuver as long as they give notice on time; what gives the extra leeway days to take the entire week of spring break.
The problem is the second passage of this article: “the school calendar current”. Because that calendar indicates that Primary classes began on March 6 and not before. If some schools advanced the courses, because they consider that the summer recess is too long or to take advantage of charging parents the February fee, they are outside the regulations. Not only that: those days cannot be counted in your favorr. Nor can they extend classes beyond December 18 as established in the official calendar.
Under this interpretation, schools they cannot add the days dictated outside the official calendar to distribute during the rest of the year.
And it is then that the following article enters: “Each authorized institute will have the right to set, within the school year, up to four days off, in addition to those officially established or authorized.” And, once again, two readings or interpretations open up.
On the one hand, the president of the Codicen, Robert Silva, understands that private schools have up to four holidays and no more. If they “used” that quota in winter, you will have to reduce your spring break week and adjust to the official calendar. In Primary, on the other hand, they understand that the second part of the article enables there to be exceptions set by inspectionand along these lines, as long as they meet the minimum number of days and hours, they can take a whole week in September.
Source: Ambito
