A new initiative has appeared on the ManaBalss platform, proposing a review of the academic load in schools. The author of the idea, Liga Homka, calls for a reduction in the volume of homework and a shortening of the duration of summer vacations.
In her opinion, the current education system no longer meets the needs of modern children. The excessive academic load, including a significant amount of homework, causes stress and emotional exhaustion for both students and their families. Additionally, students have to carry heavy backpacks daily due to the large amount of educational materials.
The initiative pays special attention to the duration of summer vacations. In Latvia, they last about 12-13 weeks — one of the longest periods in Europe. According to the author, such a long break leads to partial knowledge loss and increases the share of unproductive time.
As a solution, it is proposed to reduce or completely eliminate homework, as well as to shorten summer vacations to 6-8 weeks.
It is assumed that such changes "will help distribute the academic load more evenly, improve the emotional and physical condition of students, and increase the effectiveness of learning."
The Ministry of Education and Science notes that homework itself is not the problem — the quality and volume are what matter. Well-structured assignments help reinforce material, develop independence, and foster responsibility. However, excessive workload can indeed cause fatigue and a negative attitude towards studying.
Regarding the shortening of summer vacations, the ministry emphasizes that such changes require a serious reform of the entire education system. This will affect not only students but also teachers, parents, local governments, and the organization of the educational process as a whole.
Research shows that during long summer vacations, students may partially lose progress in learning, especially in mathematics. At the same time, experts note that the impact of vacations and homework cannot be assessed unequivocally — much depends on the quality of education and the individual characteristics of students.
Currently, the initiative is just beginning to gain support: to be submitted for consideration to the Saeima, it needs to collect at least 10,000 signatures.
