Schools in Canada should not adapt to a 4-day week at any point during the school year because it would greatly impact working parents, childcare, and education quality and continuity in a negative manner.
Many working parents, especially those that come from low income families, are employed for eight hours a day, five days a week. These parents rely on school as a form of childcare while they are at work. A 4-day school week could pose challenges, as many of these parents may struggle to find affordable and reliable care for their children, potentially forcing them to take time off work. In-turn, this could cause financial and logistical strain on these families due to the possible loss of income and the need to work multiple jobs or more hours during the ‘initial’ four days.
A 4-day week would mean longer school days. This resulting compressed schedule could make it more difficult for students to stay focused, absorb material, or have time for after school extracurricular activities. Ultimately, this would affect the academic performance, as well as the physical and mental well-being of students.
“I feel like having one less day of school, we would lose valuable learning time. It’s already hard enough to keep up with everything in five days, four days would result in chaos,” says Puneet Deol enthusiastically.
Mr. Luchak stated, “A 4-day school week may sound appealing, but it compromises quality. Shorter weeks would take away precious classroom time which is crucial for students to fully understand material. It’s a challenge to fit everything into fewer days.”
In conclusion, even though a 4-day school week may seem like a good idea, it is impossible to ignore the detrimental effects it has on multiple factors, such as working parents, students, and the educational process itself. Since it would be harder to find affordable childcare, make up for the lost income, or require parents to work longer hours or multiple jobs to make up for the missed school day, the logistical and financial difficulties that many families would encounter could lead to more stress, financial strain, and less quality time spent with their children. Furthermore, the possibility of longer days, less time for learning, and more stress on instructors and students would probably have a negative impact on academic performance and general wellbeing. As a result, before implementing such a reform, Canadian schools must carefully examine the wider ramifications because the risks obviously exceed any potential advantages.
Photo Credits: Bal D.
THE NORTH STAR 