Is Ramadan Not a Break But an Opportunity for Upbringing?

Ramadan Is Not a Vacation, But an Opportunity for Upbringing: Do Not Teach Our Children Laziness

Do We Need a Full Break from Schools in Ramadan?

Demands have emerged among social media users to take the entire month of Ramadan off from school. I find this completely illogical. Simply put, how will we make up for this cut-out instructional time except by overwhelming the student? Furthermore, a student who does not get used to attending school during Ramadan will not get used to going to work in Ramadan when he grows up. We are raising a generation that thinks Ramadan is a month of sleep and rest, not a month of work, worship, and productivity. I am for lightening the load, not halting it, and for flexibility, not stopping. Whoever wants to demand something should demand lighter loads in Ramadan. As Ahmed Hafez, I demand that there be no homework or home assignments in Ramadan. I demand that teachers and students get a little rest from tasks that may be excessively burdensome to them.

Easing the Burden While Continuing Studies

Let there be school and a real school day with a flexible schedule that takes fasting conditions into account. School should involve minimal effort for the teacher, and the home should be for family relationships and studying only—no homework, no home assignments, no writing all night, and no daily assessments. This is the fair and logical approach to what schooling should look like in Ramadan. You neither suspend studies while keeping the curriculum plan moving as scheduled so the academic year ends on time and goodbye, nor do you exhaust the teacher and student with heavy tasks day and night under conditions that require us to handle things with reason and calm, rather than stubbornness, paperwork, and grade-filling.

Ramadan is incompatible with keeping a student exhausted by assessments and homework. Education is not papers to be logged, but a spirit to be built, a mind to understand, a heart to learn the meaning of the holy month, and more space for the family.

Flexible Learning in Ramadan

Flexible learning means a system that relies on easing the load, adjusting time, and adapting tasks to suit the learner’s circumstances without disrupting the overall plan. Flexible learning balances effort and rest, duty and worship, school and home. During Ramadan, the teacher is fasting and tired, the student is fasting and exhausted, and the family is busy with worship and maintaining kinship ties. Why do we burden them with what can be postponed, and why do we turn the holy month into a race of papers and notebooks instead of an opportunity for refinement, upbringing, spiritual elevation, and a deeper understanding of the meaning of fasting?

The Ramadan Without Homework Initiative

Have we tried asking teachers what they need in Ramadan? Have we asked students how they want to learn in Ramadan? Have we considered that a little rest may yield greater productivity than constant pressure?

In short, we should adopt a practical, actionable proposal that I call the “Ramadan Without Homework” initiative, which relies on three pillars. First, a shorter school day with a flexible schedule focused on understanding rather than memorization. Second, banning or rationalizing homework, home assignments, and daily assessments during the month. Third, dedicating school time for explanation, interaction, and understanding a deeper meaning of fasting, and home time for light review, worship, and family. In this way, we preserve the academic plan, maintain the spirit of the month, and teach our children that Ramadan is work and worship, not laziness and vacation.

Ramadan Is an Opportunity for Upbringing, Not Exhaustion

I hope we approach Ramadan with an educational mindset rather than administrative paperwork. A school that exhausts people in Ramadan is like a lamp that consumes its oil before nightfall, and an education that exerts merciless pressure is like a crop watered with saltwater that neither sprouts nor bears fruit.

Written by Rody Nabil

Published by Hany Sallam

Hany Sallam, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Scientific Magazine Ahram
An independent Arabic science magazine operating since 2008, dedicated to simplifying science, technology, space, natural phenomena and scientific stories for Arabic readers. The magazine includes sections such as “Zodiac Group” and “Stories and Tales”, alongside science topics that combine knowledge with a spirit of discovery. It operates independently and is not affiliated with Al-Ahram Press Foundation or any governmental body.