Winter school break in February 2025

Faroese schools will have their first winter break in mid-February 2025, Djóni Nolsøe Joensen, the Minister of Children and Education, announced earlier this week.

There are two main reasons for this decision.

“Some pupils’ parents live abroad, and a week off from school in February would make it easier for these families to organise their schedules,” the minister said earlier this year.

“Another, more general, reason is that the period between Christmas and Easter can seem a bit long for some pupils. Perhaps some breathing space during that period might help increase their motivation to study.”

Teachers: a rushed decision

The minister’s decision has not gone down well with the Teachers’ Association.

“The introduction of a winter break has not been sufficiently debated, and the schools have not been consulted about this at all,” says Jacob Eli S. Olsen, chairman of the Teachers’ Association.

“The continuity of the school year can easily be interrupted by introducing a new break like this without thinking it through properly.”

He hopes that the minister will provide some more substantial reasons for introducing winter breaks and how these breaks will benefit pupils, teachers and schools.

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

More Faroese News in English.