As an educator I get great holidays, the longest of which is rapidly approaching. But even as I prepare to put my pencil down for the summer, I can't help asking myself why we still practise this antiquated tradition.
The school summer holiday has its roots in pre-industrial Europe, when most people still had connections to the land. During this time it made sense to let the kids have a summer break so they could help prepare for the harvest.
But the closest most of today's children get to farm work is rummaging for the prize in a box of wheat-based breakfast cereal. We've moved on, yet still we cling to this excessive summer recess for no other reason than it is what we've always done.
Hasn't the time come for education to reconsider convention?
Other disciplines have taken the leap. A few decades ago, health care experienced a revolution known as evidence-based medicine. Essentially, greater access to information technology massively narrowed the gap between medical research (evidence) and routine clinical practice.
This evidence-based orientation eventually permeated the whole of health care, until anything you did had to have an evidence base. We developed complex hierarchies of what constituted best evidence, from randomised controlled trials, to consensual expert opinion. Custom and practice became laughable; decisions had to be based on the best available evidence.
This concept of evidence-based everything has slowly permeated the corporate world, too. Even within government, one often hears talk of evidence-based policy, and evidence-based decision making.
Education, however, is still sadly lagging, and the protracted summer holiday is a great fossilised example of this.
There is no academic research or reporting that suggests any psychosocial benefits associated with a six to eight week study-break. The summer off idea is a decision based solely on tradition, and tradition is not always inherently good.
Historically in the UK, for instance, surgeons were barbers and hair dressers, though most of us would not be too excited at the prospect of a hairstylist performing our triple bypass, or even a simple amputation.
Rather, what education needs is a dose of common sense. While there is no evidence supporting the decision to break for as much as two months, there is substantial research supporting the benefits of a shorter break.
Nations ranked highest in terms of performance on international comparison tests are mostly East Asian countries, which tend to have more school days per year. Furthermore, certain schools in the US greatly reduced the duration of the summer break and reported substantial improvements in academic performance.
One study undertaken at the London School of Economics found that a short-lived policy to reduce the school year in West Germany resulted in a 25 per cent increase in grade repetition, suggesting weaker students suffered when forced to cram more learning into less time.
Generally it's the less gifted students, or those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who suffer most from the long break, a phenomenon know in the literature as "summer learning loss". Children with academically inclined parents may have summer holidays that include educationally enriching activities.
Many children however, simply watch television or play video games, essentially left to the mercy of vegetation technology. If the timing of a shorter break coincided with cooler winter months, or family holidays, kids might spend less time on these activities.
More school days per year would arguably improve the UAE's educational standing, and support the development of a knowledge-based economy. It would also close the gap between the strongest and poorest academic performers, making pedagogy and classroom management more effective.
I feel somewhat guilty suggesting these changes, as I recall fondly the never-ending days of fun during my childhood summer holidays. But this is little more than nostalgia, reminiscing about the good old days - like when the surgeon would give you a haircut and a shave after cauterising a wound or taking out your spleen.
Sometimes, the good old days did more harm than good.
Justin Thomas is an assistant professor of psychology at Zayed University
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Fixtures
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
