Schools across Turkey break up for semester break on Jan 18

ISTANBUL

Schools across Turkey will break up for around 18 million students for the semester break starting on Jan. 18.

Students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools will receive their mid-term report cards.

Some 1.12 million teachers will also rest for two weeks.

The second semester of the 2018-2019 school year in Turkey will start on Feb. 4 and will end on June 14.

The two-week break is expected to decrease traffic congestion, particularly in Istanbul, which is among the most congested cities in the world.

Minister: Do not pressure kids into doing homework

Meanwhile, Education Minister Ziya Selçuk has called on parents not to pressure their children into doing homework during the semester break.

“If parents pressure their kids to do homework or to study during the semester break, they should know that when the new semester starts, the child’s agitation will increase and their efficiency will decrease,” he said.

The semester break “should be a period when kids nurture themselves in different ways while they increase their emotional balance,” Selçuk stressed.

“If a kid likes to do homework, they will do it in the semester break anyway. Kids who have a hard time doing their homework in the school year will have a hard time doing it in the semester break as well,” said Selçuk.

Pushing children into working on subjects which they do not feel confident about can create negative results, according to the minister.

Turkey should shift its focus from the current exam-focused education system, Selçuk said, adding: “When we reduce success down to grades, education can lose its balance.”