THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 18, 2023 at 07:00 JST
SAPPORO--Schoolchildren in Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of Japan, can now look forward to longer summer breaks after temperatures hit a blistering 36.3 degrees this year.
The island’s education board revised administrative rules for school operators on Nov. 22 to extend the total vacation period for summer and winter breaks to a maximum 56 days from the current 50 days to match the national standard.
Schools run by the Hokkaido government will be given the flexibility to decide summer holiday extensions by themselves.
The amendment will take effect April 1.
The new criteria will apply solely to high schools and special needs schools for children with disabilities for which the Hokkaido government is responsible.
However, elementary and junior high schools managed by local cities, towns and villages are expected to follow suit.
The change will also give school principals the authority to more freely determine the holiday length for each season.
Current rules stipulate that children can be off school for up to 25 days in respective seasons.
The aim of the changes is to give school operators the flexibility to adjust holiday periods in the hottest months of the year following record-breaking heat this summer.
Temperatures in Sapporo hit 36.3 degrees in August, a level comparable to areas in southern Japan.
How long vacation periods should be in total are defined by prefectural boards of education under school administrative criteria. Most prefectures set the total ceiling at 56 days, according to the education board of Hokkaido.
(This article was written by Aki Sato and Masanari Matsuda.)
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The mercury hit a record high 36.3 degrees in Sapporo on Aug. 23. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
