Extreme heat disrupts classes as Europe weighs longer school summer holidays

Some European countries may extend school summer holidays amid scorching heat, Euronews writes.

The length of school summer holidays can vary significantly across Europe, according to Eurydice, the European Commission-funded education information network.

Italy, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus have the longest school summer holidays in the EU, with Italian students getting 14 weeks off and Maltese, Latvian and Cypriot children getting 13 weeks.

On the other hand, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany have the shortest holidays in the bloc, with pupils getting just six weeks off for the summer.

However, as heatwaves become more frequent, countries such as France, Spain and Italy are considering ways for schools to adapt to extreme weather events, with some suggesting finishing classes early and extending the length of school summer holidays.

This year, schools in countries such as France and Belgium have already stopped classes ahead of schedule or closed completely due to the heatwaves.

This was not the only solution, however. In Belgium, for example, the unions called on schools to ensure every classroom is equipped with a thermometer and to suspend classes whenever legal heat limits were exceeded.

Furthermore, in Spain, some schools have experimented with slightly different schedules, with classes starting at 8 am instead of 8:30 am and finishing at 3 pm instead of 4:30 pm.