The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Research studies have shown that having a break, such as day off on Saturday, can have a positive effect on students’ learning outcomes and overall well-being.
A report conducted by The Hindu Newspaper found out that students who had enough rest were more likely to retain information, stay focused during classes, and exhibit higher levels of motivation compared to students who had classes every day of the week.
Furthermore, it was discovered that having a break allowed students to engage in extracurricular activities, socialize with peers, and pursue hobbies and interests outside of academics. This holistic approach to education not only improved students’ academic performance, but also contribute to their emotional and social development.
The Indian state of Nagaland decided to do away with Saturday classes with a notion that “teachers are not slaves” and “children too need time and environment that is outside the classroom for a holistic development.”
As the government is in the process to decide whether to have six days of instructional classes or not, other developed countries are adopting a model of only four days of instructional classes.
Research done by Mark Anderson and Mary Beth Walker, on how shortening the school week impacts student’s performance, gave the example of Kentucky’s Webster County school district where the instructional classes are only four-day week, and people reported that these helped in saving the cost spent into commuting and transporting.
Their research notes that while some parents and educators complain that shorter weeks will harm students academically, others have reported higher grade point averages and test scores after switching to the shortened week.
Furthermore, from the student’s standpoint, a shorter school week may lead to better attendance, whereby higher attendance has been recorded while performing standardized tests, they are less distracted with enough rest, and exhibit improved morale.
Experts like Juliet Schor comment on how employees after the implementation of a shorter than four-day week are more productive and have fewer resignations with an increase in the growth of revenue. Since they get a holiday from Friday itself, employees are spending their Fridays off doing family activities like sports or errands.
She notes that by shortening the working weeks, “…people are willing to squeeze all their productivity into four days. So, while they may be spending less time at work, they are not necessarily doing less work. The secret sauce is reorganization; cutting out the least productive activities.”
She also points out that employees like teachers who are busy the whole week can shift personal tasks, like doctor’s appointments, to the off-day.
Many of the voters were excited for PDP’s win expecting a break on Saturday for students, teachers, and families.
The PDP’s commitment to keeping Saturdays as a holiday was a significant factor for the voters, especially those disappointed by the previous government’s resumption of Saturday classes.
However, if the new government also decides to commit to holding classes on Saturdays, the potential reversal of this pledge could lead to a loss of trust with the voters impacting the party’s credibility.
It is not only the voters who are not satisfied with this, but also the many young minds who wish to have holidays on Saturday as it is tiring for them as well. For classes 6 and 8 students already dealing with academic pressures, losing the promised Saturday holiday would further burden their schedules.
In a previous interview with Lyonpo Yeezang D Thapa, she mentioned that this directive would be finalized by the end of May after the Cambridge International team does thorough research on how beneficial it could be to the well-being of the people.
Furthermore, during the Meet-the-Press Session, Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay also said, “When we informed the public about the four executive orders and ten directives, everyone said that the new government has indeed started to work on their first day at the office. However, what people are not aware of is that signing the orders is easy, but making it happen requires a lot of work, and many things have to be considered.”
In Bhutan, where teacher attrition is a challenge, past studies have shown workload being a bigger factor than pay in teacher attrition. Many teachers who resigned shared that heavy workload, poor leadership, lack of training opportunities have led them to resign.
Despite the teachers being one of the highest-paid among the civil servants, most of the teachers still face issues with workload. This could be the reason why Bhutan is facing a teacher shortage even after the salary is increased.
From the people’s perspective, simplifying the curriculum by removing unnecessary topics can ease the burden on both the students and teachers. it is not that teachers are not able to finish syllabus if the Saturday classes are called off, but it is because of the shortages of teachers in Bhutan.
Many voters also raised questions as to what is the need for further discussions and decisions when the government should have considered this directive while making the pledge in the first place.
A teacher from Chukha said that his expectation from the new government was that considering the other signed executive orders, the Prime Minister could have also signed calling of Saturday classes, as he says, “…the MoESD are further delaying given the time period of one month.”
Gyeltsen adds, “This directive was supposed to be declared in first sitting of Lhengye Zhungtshog as mentioned by the party in their pledge ‘Contract with Bhutan’, and I thought this decision was taken after a careful study, seems like the party may have prioritized political gains over the well-being and votes of thousands of teachers and students.”
Another suggests that if research is to be done by an international institution until the end of May, the party should keep Saturdays off.
PDP’s decision on Saturday holidays carries significant implications for voter trust, student well-being, and teacher satisfaction. The public expect the party to uphold its promises, and act in the best interest of the public, so failing to do so can have negative consequences for a party’s reputation and support.
