Autumn school holidays a welcome break with tradition

Yi Jibing, deputy director of the Enshi education bureau office, emphasized that a successful autumn break requires a support system built by schools, families and society.

He detailed collaborative efforts already taken. The education and agriculture bureaus have co-published a safety guide for farm practices, communities have offered public tutoring classes for families in need while schools have shared activity suggestions online and cautioned against using the break for extra tutoring.

Yi said these details expand the responsibility of education from schools to the whole society.

Chang Shufang, an associate researcher at the China National Academy of Educational Sciences, said the breaks create an ideal window for immersive social activities and experiential learning. "This context-based learning is far more vivid and profound than textbook knowledge," she said.

Expanding travel demand outside the highly concentrated summer and winter vacations can significantly increase the frequency and efficiency of annual tourism consumption and activate related service industries, an effect that surpasses simply adding more vacation days, she added.

However, maximizing the benefits depends heavily on supporting safeguards, Chang said.

Schools must design meaningful practical guides, society must provide safe, affordable and quality study-tour resources, and parents need to recalibrate their priorities to value companionship and experience, she added.

"Only when multiple parties truly coordinate can the spring and autumn breaks become a valuable oasis nourishing students' growth," Chang said.

Contact the writers at liukun@chinadaily.com.cn