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THE TT Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) and National Parent Teachers' Association (NPTA) on August 1 welcomed the recent announcement by Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath but they aren't without concern.

Dowlath announced at a post-cabinet media briefing on July 31 that the July/August vacation period will be extended by one week to balance the three school terms, but assured this will not affect the 39 weeks of teaching across an academic year. He said this will ease teacher burnout due to the length of the first term and will allow additional time to complete repairs to schools during the summer vacation. NPTA president Walter Stewart told Newsday the removal of one instructional week from September would need to be recovered somewhere to keep the 39 weeks of teaching for the academic year.

Although TTUTA president Martin Lum Kin also welcomed the additional vacation time, it said it looked forward to seeing the breakdown to seeing the breakdown of the 2025/2026 academic year.