Let’s face it, most of us struggle to hit the right balance when it comes to work, rest and play. The demands and time constraints that stem from the workplace can place limitations on our ability to indulge in a spot of R&R every once in a while. But surely, the barriers that prevent many adults from taking time out to relax should not drip-down in to the lives of children. Liu Shinnan, writing in China News Daily, provides the example of his 10-year-old granddaughter to illustrate the nonsensicality of inflicting “extra-curricular skills training” on children.
Providers of privately-run courses often pray on parents’ fears of denying their child the sort of developmental opportunities that may be giving ‘someone else’s kid’ a head-start in the race for academic achievement or future professional success. Shinan argues that a total ban on all extra-curricular courses is the only way to alleviate those fears and remove the temptation to over-load children with the burden of too much study.
What do you think? Is a total ban on extra-curricular learning in the best interests of children, or would Shinan’s proposal unnecessarily deprive kids of the opportunity to make the most of their academic or artist potential? Discuss it on our forum!
