There are a lot of myths and history concerning the origin of the summer vacation. As agriculture was still most nations’ major economic activity in the 19th century, it is believed that school children took a break during summer to help their parents in the fields.
However, in modern times, long summer breaks are not exactly beneficial to the economy. The government puts a lot of resources into education, but colleges and universities possess a lot of equipment and other resources that are not used during summer breaks.
When I was studying at university, I wrote to the Ministry of Education, suggesting the establishment of a third semester. After acquiring my doctorate, I came back to Taiwan and wrote to the ministry again, without receiving a proper reply. I also submitted opinion pieces “The benefits of a third semester” to the Taiwan Times and “25 percent off college tuition” to the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper).
Some people mock going to college, saying it is an excuse for students to muck about for four years, as Taiwan’s four-year higher education system is fixed and rigid. In contrast, students in the US can graduate early by earning credits ahead of time and maximizing their course load, so that those who wish to start their careers early can finish their degrees in the shortest time possible.
In Taiwan, with the exception of certain departments, students generally need 128 credits to graduate. Most of the students in the law, liberal arts and business departments can finish their degrees in three years. Why make students stay for another year when they can acquire the same degree in three?
Most seniors only have nine hours of class per week, and those who wish to make a few bucks during the extra time they have can only apply for low-paying jobs without employee benefits. This benefits neither the student nor society.
The long summer break also works against young people and could be instrumental in widening the gap between the rich and poor. Students from low social-economic backgrounds need to help their families by working part-time jobs instead of taking part in extracurricular activities, while those from affluent families can attend summer camps or go on study trips, thereby exacerbating the social divide.
If there is a third semester, young people would not need to suspend their studies.
Furthermore, all of the basic skills and technologies that they have learned in class must be honed and mastered through real practice. Students could use their time to conduct experiments skipped in class during the three semesters. There would also be time for a little traveling, so that students could experience the beauty of nature.
When I was studying in the US, the campus was still humming with students during summer break. There were also prizes drawn to encourage students to enroll in summer classes, so that they would have the opportunity to enroll in popular classes that were highly sought-after during the regular semester.
From an efficiency point of view, the recent “three plus one” program should have been introduced long ago and should be open to all students, instead of only male draftees for compulsory military service.
As students from low-income families have to take on part-time jobs during summer break, perhaps a better solution would be to allow them to finish college early and take on full-time jobs with a good salary rather than spending three summer breaks working menial jobs for an hourly wage.
Yang Der-yuan is a professor in the money and banking department at National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology.
Translated by Rita Wang
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