Holiday dispute: Söder remains tough – Bavaria wants to keep the special rule!

Holiday dispute: Söder remains tough – Bavaria wants to keep the special rule!

In a bitter dispute over school holidays, Bavaria is taking a clear stance. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) insists on the current regulation, which allows Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg to be the last federal states to start their summer holidays at the end of July. Söder argues that these late holidays are anchored in the “biorhythm of the South” and that changes to the entire year's holiday plans are out of the question Picture reported.

The Bavarian Prime Minister sees himself in a strong position compared to other federal states due to the high financial burden. Bavaria pays a high level of financial compensation, which Söder cites as a reason for the Free State's responsibility when it comes to holiday planning. In contrast, North Rhine-Westphalia's School Minister Dorothee Feller (CDU) is calling for new regulations, as North Rhine-Westphalia also wants to start the holidays later. She considers the argument from Bavaria to be outdated and therefore no longer relevant.

Flexibility and fairness during the holidays

These controversies are not new, and Christoph Ploß (CDU), the tourism coordinator, is in favor of more flexibility. He would like holiday periods to be equalized in order to increase the utilization of accommodation and leisure activities. Ploß suggests a rotation of holiday periods, which could create more fairness and variety. Especially in times when tourism plays a central role in economic life, it makes sense to organize the holiday season together.

But the dispute over holiday regulations between the federal states remains unresolved. The situation becomes more complex due to the regulations surrounding penance and prayer days, on which classes are canceled in Bavaria. This holiday was abolished in 1995 to save costs when introducing long-term care insurance. Although religious employees have the right to time off, teachers do not have the option of simply taking a day off because they are responsible for maintaining classes. Schools are obliged to organize self-responsible care measures, but in the past this was often not possible across the board Bayern.de represents.

Education policy in focus

This issue of holiday regulations reflects a more central concern within German education policy. In this country, education policy is viewed as a crucial policy area that brings with it numerous challenges. The state occupies a monopoly-like position in the education system and is both the provider and the sponsor of most educational institutions. Educational federalism plays a key role here, as each country designs its school system independently. This poses a risk of inconsistency, as is also the case bpb.de is discussed.

The challenges in the education sector are diverse: from the school system to the transition from school to the world of work. The state not only regulates access to education, but also ensures its quality. But the long-running issues in school policy, especially the discussion about school holidays and public holidays, remain a hot topic that will continue to cause discussions for a long time.