MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP)—Mexican authorities on Friday announced that the school year would end over a month early as the country gears up to host World Cup matches, prompting broad backlash.

Education Secretary Mario Delgado said the decision to end the school year 40 days early was made in part due to a heat wave impacting several states.

“We’re going to end the school year on June 5 because many states are already experiencing high temperatures, and there’s also the issue of the World Cup,” he said at an event in the northern state of Sonora.