The Chamber of Commerce (COC) and the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) have recently resurrected − for the umpteenth time − the idea of extending school hours. I would like to show how flimsy the arguments being used to support this proposal are.

First, there’s the argument that it will allow more women to work. What’s the point of increasing the workforce when job opportunities/economy are stagnant? Also, how is one to guarantee a 100% correlation between school hours and job hours. For example, let’s say school were to end at 4:30 − how would it solve the problem for those whose job starts at 3, or 4, or later?

Second, is it ethical to create job opportunities for one group of parents and endanger that of another? I am referring to teachers who are parents and for whom extended hours will force them to quit. Teachers with children, and those with no children who might have other priorities such as ailing family members, do not push their problems on society but handle it themselves, for example by having babysitters.

Third, the COC and the MCWO are overlooking the fact that a fairly large number of parents want their children home early − these children are wanted to do household chores, babysit younger siblings, help out in the family business or in the fields, run errands, feed pets or livestock, and this not taking into consideration the child’s own agenda such as clubs, sports, private lessons, homework, catechism or simply resting from a day of schoolwork!

Fourth, there are those who claim that students are under pressure as they have little time to cover a syllabus and would gladly welcome the extra schooling! A doozy of a lame argument! First, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! And in my 21 years as a teacher, I have never come across a single child who cried when the dismissal bell rang, when the weekend or the holidays began! Not one ever came Oliver Twist-like and say: ‘Please, sir, can I have some more?’ During a ‘free lesson’ no class ever asked me to provide extra instruction to get the syllabus done. In fact, they frown when I do give instruction during free time! For a student, free time is doing their homework, playing football, doing anything but academics!

One can go on indefinitely. But, I believe, these arguments I’ve presented suffice to show the flaws in the COC’s and MWCO’s suggestions. Extending school hours will only succeed in creating more problems than solving any.

Joe Falzon

QALA