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Our country is definitely not facing a very ideal situation as far as higher education is concerned. The cost of education is on a rapid rise. In order to seek some respite, a number of institutes across the nation are opting for 3-Day weekends to cut down drastically on the budget.

However, this is not a new trend. As many as 300 higher education institutes across America opted for 3-Day weekends on 2011. More numbers joined in during 2012 and if experts are to be believed, 2013 would see further rise in the numbers of institutes following path.

By reducing one working day per week, the institutes are able to cut down on immense cost. Utility, janitorial as well as transportation cost goes down to great extent with the help of this move. For instance – few institutes have reported a savings of about $800,000 on annual costs because of having 4-Day week. However, in order to enjoy a 3-Day weekends, students are required to spend extra time every single day to meet the requirements regarding minimum class time stated by the respective State Administrations.

However, this trend has not been digested by all. Certain members of the education administration system have lashed out saying that students should be spending most of their time in class and moving to 4-day week strategy is not going to help in the longer run.

According to a few of them, this move would only help in reducing the overall interest of education amongst the students as they would be spending most of the time at home. On the contrary, teachers belonging to many higher education institutes across America have stated that students are able to put in more concentration, courtesy a 4-Day week. They are not as stressed as they were while attending college for 5 days a week.

The new trend is also allowing students to actively participate in different events organized by the institute. For instance – initially, many students were not able to attend classes due to athletic and other sporting commitments. However, with a 4-Day week, educational institutes are keeping the 5th day for organizing such events and hence students no longer have to miss valuable classes.

Students who take part in athletic events on behalf of the institute are also in favor of the 4-Day week move. They are more than happy that they would no longer have to miss classes and then play the catch up game later on.

With the current scenario of students finding higher education extremely expensive across America, this move might just bring in some relief. If it is indeed executed in the best manner, the costs of running an institute would come down drastically.

This way, the same institutes would be able to cut down on their fees which will further benefit the students and their families. Although, the move seems to be highly optimistic and also involves a touch of risk factor, it still comes across as the right decision in this hour of need.