The School Week Debate

We have witnessed enough drama surrounding the controversial debate over whether to keep or eliminate Saturday from the school week during the political common forums. The spark of the debate has reignited as the government that pledged during political campaign to keep Saturdays off disclosed to the media regarding the committee's suggestion to retain Saturday as regular working days. 

Drawing from my experience as a former schoolteacher, I have always longed for the Ministry of Education to remain isolated from the clutch of politics. It was a terrible and frustrating ordeal to be at the receiving end when education was politicised. For every five years, teachers would find themselves conforming to the whims of directives from the ruling political parties to dance to the tunes of their party manifestoes - only to witness their efforts swiftly scrapped by the incoming parties upon assuming power. The aftermath they produce after prostituting the education ministry due to their myopic visions was enough to leave teachers chaotic, irritated, and disoriented. But for now, the idea to discuss this complex web of politics in education is not my interest and therefore, beyond the scope of this article. Instead, I zoom in on the controversial debate surrounding the fate of Saturdays in the school week.

Generally, the decision of whether to have Saturdays off for the school largely depends on the educational system and its contextual settings. For example, in countries where education system is thriving, the idea of Saturday as a weekend holiday is not even a matter of debate. Despite schools having only a five-day school week with Saturdays off, these countries have high-end education systems.

However, in Bhutan, perhaps in a quest of fulfilling the much-touted quality wholesome education, our experts have venerated the longstanding tradition of holding classes even on Saturdays. Whether we are fulfilling the ideals of quality wholesome education is still debatable, two things are evident; First, our teachers unlike their counterparts worldwide, juggle multiple non-curricular roles alongside teaching. Second, the much-espoused quality wholesome education that we aspire for, still lacks clear (contextual) definition or conceptual framework of our own, remaining as the most contested subjects in our society. Let alone others, this ambiguity challenges even our (education) experts, to clearly delineate what falls within the scope of this controversial subject. 

Categorically speaking, whether it was born of genuine necessity or calculated political maneuvering, the arrival of democracy has triggered the debate concerning the exclusion of Saturdays from school week. In political arena, the debate has become more than a phenomenon and worse than a pandemic. That is why in every political campaign, we witness the recurrence of this issue, often materialised as a political bait to garner votes. At one point, the Druk Nyamrog Tshogpa (DNT) issued directives to consider Saturdays optional for regular school week. However, this ambiguous (which I explain later) order was short-lived, as a new political party reinstated Saturdays back into conventional school routine. 

This contentious game of removing and reintroducing Saturdays now raises a fundamental question: What drives us to trigger this controversy?

If the reasons are political, I am not the one to discuss them. If it is educational, I may have some opinions to offer, considering my stint as a teacher for over a decade. Although the details are not exhaustive, following the latter perspectives, I outline the benefits of incorporating Saturdays into the school week, followed by the consideration of keeping Saturdays off. I then offer an insider’s views (emic perspective) to highlight observations and occurrences on Saturdays in our schools that are largely taken-for-granted.

 

Keeping Saturdays as School Days

Having additional days means more instructional hours, which could potentially contribute to a thorough coverage of curricular requirements. That is, beyond academics, the extra day may offer opportunities for delivering the much-espoused wholesome education by including extracurricular activities (e.g., games and sports, clubs) and character-building programs (scouting, value education, agriculture) in the schools. 

Studies have indicated that Bhutanese curriculum is oversubscribed and content laden (Childs et al., 2012; Schuelka et al., 2018; Sherab & Schuelka, 2023). Unless we streamline our curriculum by focusing only on essentials, using Saturday in the regular school week would be a viable alternative to optimise curriculum coverage – perhaps due to which it is continued until today. Teachers may have the flexibility to distribute the teaching materials more evenly, reducing the anxiety to rush through lessons. This extended timeframe may allow for a more in-depth exploration of subjects and possibly facilitate a thorough engagement during teaching-learning process. 

Keeping Saturdays Off 

Keeping Saturdays off from the school week also offers equal, if not greater, share of merits. For example, having Saturdays off will provide both teachers and students with two full days to take a break (not rest), rejuvenate, or engage in extracurricular activities (e.g., hobbies, hiking, pilgrimage, sports, or socialisation). By breaks, I mean, an active period of engagement in teaching-learning process whereas rest implies a more passive state of recuperation. Teachers and students having breaks can contribute to their overall well-being and work/study–life balance. 

Keeping Saturdays off from teaching can facilitate both the quantity and quality of family time. For parents who reside away from their kids attending boarding schools, these days would be an excellent opportunity to reunite and share meals with them. Even if the meals provided in the schools are of top quality, at times, we often have that craving for home-cooked meals. Such opportunities for frequent meetings can arguably strengthen family bonds. From sociological lens, social bonds (social and emotional connections) between individuals are constantly being formed, maintained, disrupted, or repaired. Scheff (1997) argues that social bonds, if not being formed, maintained, or repaired, may be broken. Emotions are cultural phenomenon (Barrett, 2017; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Pugh et al., 2022; Retzinger, 1991), with an individual’s emotions being constantly shaped by the cultural ideas and practices prevalent in their society. The theory suggests that when individuals have secure bonds, they experience the feelings of solidarity or social cohesion. When insecure or loose bonds are formed, it leads to feelings of isolation/alienation. In Durkheimian ideology, social isolations and disconnect are referred to have associations with higher likelihoods of suicidal ideation (Durkheim, 1897/1952). Hence, sociological theories have acknowledged social bonds as fundamental for fostering social solidarity (Collins, 2004; Collins, 2020; Scheff, 1997) which is critical to uphold particularly in this modern social contexts where the nature and culture of work are increasingly leading to social distancing by limiting our interactions. 

A longer weekend can be beneficial in minimising stress and burnout for both students and teachers. It allows them to revitalise and prepare for the upcoming school week. I have often noticed that students feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of homework they get from different disciplines – resulting in incomplete tasks most of the time. This is not their fault because they are juggling multiple subjects with different homework requirements. While a well-structured school homework timetable might seem like a practical solution by appearing as tangible solution of addressing students’ homework, we are well familiar with its impracticality. When works remain incomplete, students feel even more overwhelmed and academically lost, potentially resulting to withdraw their interest in learning. Such experience of negative emotions and sentiments may trigger mental health issues such as anxiety or stress.

With Saturdays off, both teachers and students will have the flexibility to schedule appointments, attend events of their own, or engage in social activities that might otherwise be challenging during a typical school day. This will contrast with the current trend where teachers use their casual leave on Saturdays while other civil servants derive dividends of fully paid weekends. For students, this time off can be used to pursue extracurricular interests, participate in community service, or simply relax and refresh. Overall, such educational arrangement may enable a more balanced and adaptable learning environment that supports the diverse needs and interests of both teachers and students.    

Studies have begun to evidence that keeping long weekends contributes to more efficiency, happier employees, lesser turnover rates, and inviting more people to apply for the work. We cannot overlook such possibility in our context as well, especially when we are experiencing significant teacher attrition. Perhaps, more than a salary hike, who knows, this option could be one noble approach to retain experienced teachers and attract enthusiastic individuals to join the teaching profession. 

 

What is Happening in Our Schools on Saturdays?                                                

During the 19th National Education Conference (NEC), the then-Ministry of Education advised schools not to hold classes on Saturdays and instead use them for Professional Development (PD) programmes and extracurricular activities. This resolution also implied that students would take leave while teachers engage in PD activities. However, the notification stirred a sea of confusion, including those conference attendees, about whether Saturdays should be part of the school week. Consequently, many interpreted the notification as optional, leaving it up to school Principals to decide the fate of Saturdays at their respective school. The ambiguity and the side-effect of a resolution endorsed through a show of hands have resulted in some schools observing Saturdays as PD day while others remained closed.

The 19th NEC also endorsed a resolution requiring every teacher to attend 80 hours of PD, of which 40 hours will be provided by the Ministry, 20 hours by the District, and 20 hours by the schools. However, not only is achievement of this resolution largely questionable, but the way our education leaders and school managers conceptualise and organise PD is appalling.

By OECD definition, PD programmes are engagements that offers teachers learning opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills, and pedagogical practices. Ironically, PD courses in our schools often end-up doing mundane school chores such as result analysis, developing test blueprint, or assigning inchargeships, just to meet the school's 20-hour PD requirement. 

Although teachers make up a significant component of our civil service, the cost of delivering PD programs for them may be relatively frugal than in other sectors. This is because, PDs for teachers are largely held within or nearby schools, accessing school mess targeted to reduce financial implications.

If Saturdays are to be utilised effectively, PDs should offer unique and engaging learning opportunities, rather than organising to satisfy the quota of required PD hours. Conducting PDs in new environments, (not necessarily in high-end hotels as other sectors do), may add an element of novelty and excitement for teachers, breaking the monotony of workshops in familiar settings. Even if it falls on Saturdays, such a shift may boost teachers’ motivation and engagement, making them feel valued and fostering a growth mindset. Recognising teachers’ contribution and giving authentic opportunities for PD may result in a more favourable attitude towards PD, thereby inspiring them to implement novel ideas, renew their energy, and contribute to their overall well-being and professional growth. Again, such simple scheme may contribute to limiting the alarming rate of teacher attrition.

In boarding schools, Saturdays hardly qualify as weekends.  For example, a teacher-on-duty (TOD) responsible for running the school throughout the day must remain on campus. The associated hazards and vulnerabilities of students’ that may endanger their safety and wellbeing are often interpreted as TOD’s accountability, necessitating TODs being in the schools throughout the day.  

The list of tasks teachers perform in schools on Saturdays may vary depending on different contexts. These includes the type of school (boarding/day-school; remote/urban), the amount of teachers (excess/shortage), school managers (myopic/ farsighted) and of course, kind of non-curricular activities (e.g., games and sports, scouting, agriculture, clubs, house competitions) held on Saturdays.