Should children be swotting over summer or should they just be splashing the three months away on the beach? Kristina Chetcuti tries to find out.

Several schools in Malta are asking their students to work hard at their revision packs, sparking a debate dividing teachers, parents and students alike.

One parent whose daughter will be sitting for her O levels next year said his school asked students to submit all their extra summer work by a specific date in mid-August.

“Rather than letting them enjoy their childhood and rest a bit in summer they want them to continue doing revision work on all subjects,” he said.

He believes that in Malta students end up having to study during holidays because of teachers’ short working hours. “Rather than shorten the overlong summer holidays and lengthen the school day and scholastic year, this school’s solution is to spoil the holidays for our kids,” he said.

The debate around holiday homework has raged for years in other countries too, with some schools in the UK declaring they would not issue homework.

If winter is mostly about academic stuff, then summer has to be more about fun things

No Maltese school has taken an official position on vacation homework, however, the former dean of the Education Department at the University of Malta is not in favour of letting go for the whole summer. “My scientific information is that children’s retention of information over the summer holidays is very limited,” Carmel Borg said. He noted that some years required students to work harder during their vacation. “Take Form 5, for example. It is very short. We need to use summer to help them prepare for O levels,” he said.

He said summer was the time for learning enrichment such as travelling, exposure to the languages and cultural activities.

He stressed the importance of a “good quality summer school”. “It’s the time for parents to invest a lot, not only money-wise but also in terms of time,” he said.

“For me it’s unheard of to keep your children idle,” he said, “even because children are mostly bored. They don’t know what to do.”

Mother-of-two Faye Camilleri Preziosi said boredom was good for children. “We are scared to let our children get bored but that is very good for them. When bored, a child becomes creative. We are packing their lives too much to let them do their own thing,” she said.

She does not believe in doing anything in summer except reading for pleasure. Summer was the time for recuperating and enjoying life and did not feel that they would particularly suffer when they returned to school. “Within the first month or two, it will all come back and they’ll be fine.”

Most teachers who spoke to the Times of Malta stressed the importance of children being exposed to loads of books during the summer but also to physical activity. “It’s crucial that children do not spend days on end on their PlayStations and Xboxes,” said one.

Rosalie Sammut, a mother of three, believes that summer has to be the opposite of winter. “If winter is mostly about academic stuff, then summer has to be more about fun things.”

She said her children are allocated time for revision work every morning but it’s not set in stone.

“Summer is also time for children to learn how to cook and how to do house chores, especially as they get older,” she said.

An Italian teacher, Cesare Cata, sent a list to all his students at the secondary school in the region of Le Marche, listing15 “homework activities” for his students. The list has gone viral on social media:

1. In the morning, walk along the seashore alone. Look at how the sun reflects off the water, think about the things you love most in life and feel happy.

2. Try using all the new words you’ve learnt this year: more vocabulary will help you think more.

3. Read, as much as possible. Not because you have to. Read because the summer inspires you in adventures and dreams. Reading you’ll feel similar to birds in flight.

4. Avoid all things, situations and persons that make you feel negative and empty. Look for stimulating situations and friends who appreciate and understand you for who you are.

5. If you feel sad or scared, do not worry. The summer, like all great things, puts the soul in harmony. Try keeping a diary where you can write about your feelings.

6. Dance – without feeling ashamed; on the street near your home or in your bedroom.

7. At least once, get up to see a sunrise. Stand there in silence and breathe. Close your eyes and be grateful.

8. Practise a lot of sports.

9. Be grateful to people who are close to you. If they don’t reciprocate, then they were not meant to be part of your destiny. Otherwise, summer of 2015 is a great time to go for walks together.

10. Remember what you learned in school and refer to your notes.

11. Be happy like the sun, untamed like the sea.

12. Don’t swear. Always be polite and gentle.

13. Watch movies in English. This will help you improve your language skills and your chance to dream.

14. During the day or at night, dream about what your life may be like. During the summer, summon the strength not to give up and do everything you can to pursue that dream.

15. Be good.