Students do need time away from study but it could be argued that a long summer holiday is a relic of agricultural heritage.

Tradition is a strong force in education. Today much of education is still guided by Victorian principles no longer relevant to our lives.

The current system, in most the west, of long school terms and long breaks is analogous to binge drinking. There could be some merit is a system of moderation with education and recreation more evenly distributed over the year. This could be more in line with the reality of our modern lives.

From an education stand point learning is often better from short consistent contact with content then from a few long contacts.