“Dear Editor,
Jen Hogan has raised the issue of teenagers not being offered sufficient employment opportunities, however, it seems we are overlooking a significant contributing factor. Why, one wonders, are our youngsters taking such an extraordinarily lengthy summer break of three months?
This long-established practice has its roots in our historical agricultural society where our youth were indeed engaged in working the fields. In contemporary times, as Jen rightly points out, teenagers stay idle. Wouldn’t it be more sensible and pragmatic to prolong the academic year by at least a fortnight to three weeks?
Sincerely,
CLAIRE HILLERY,
Renmore,
Galway.”