Winter vacation is just around the corner, and lots of Chinese parents are beginning to secure places for their children on extracurricular tutorial courses. While education authorities are encouraging schools to alleviate pressure on students, why are so many parents still so interested in such classes? What can their children gain from such classes, and how much truth is there to claims that these lessons are doing more harm than good?

Advocates believe that childhood is the best time for children to learn. They say that if children refuse to spend time learning during this stage in their development, then they must accept that their opportunities will be limited when growing up. In cases where children are passionate about learning, childhood is the best time as opportunities grow ever more limited after graduating from school. Some parents worry that their children will fall behind if they don't take extracurricular courses because all their classmates are taking them, and in some families there is no one around to look after children during holidays, so it's better to send them for tutoring.

There are also those who oppose extracurricular classes. According to this group, most children are already weary of the heavy loads of daily work they get given at school, and piling on yet more hours of study will simply backfire. Idling away time in tutorial classes which don't interest them is a waste of time and will contribute further toward children's general disdain for education. Furthermore, not all tutorial classes are legal and in possession of the right qualifications, so in some circumstances it could be dangerous to send children to these institutions.

Getting ahead

Yue Shui (Guangzhou Daily): Most parents choose to send their children to extracurricular tutorial classes because they don't want their children to fall behind others as they start out in life. However, life is like a marathon; does it really make a difference if a child is ahead for the first few steps of his or her life? The criteria for children to be considered "outstanding" at this age are based on the repetition of dull exercises day after day and the sacrifice of after-school time that could otherwise be spent playing with friends. Is such a narrow interpretation of "outstanding" worth so many sacrifices?

We don't deny that some students do choose to take such classes of their own free will and go on to maintain excellence throughout their lives. However, for most children, their mass participation in tutorial classes will only raise the bar set by schools when admitting new students. They may even regret the time wasted in tutorial classes during their childhood, which they could have spent on more interesting and memorable things.

Yang Chaoqing (www.zgnt.net): Some parents believe that tutorial classes provide a means for their children's communication with their peers. If their children don't go, they might be marginalized, and it's important for children to learn to communicate well and effectively with others. Like adults, children are naturally eager to make friends in order to feel part of a group or wider society. As a way to connect children, tutorial classes not only help enhance learning, but can also open windows to a broader world. However, it is not right to use tutorial classes as a platform for showboating one's children, as has become the wont of some parents.

The current mania for tutorial classes stems from parents' anxiety for their children's future in an increasingly competitive society. Even though children are barely old enough to understand the pressures of life, they are nonetheless all faced with the pressure of competing for better education at better schools and universities. As a result, more and more parents turn to extracurricular classes, which have become a way for families to compete with each other. In this sense, tutorial classes are as much about the parents as their children, and in some cases even more so. I don't think the number of tutorial classes a child takes is a realistic measure of a child's success now or in the future.

Hou Jiang (Beijing Evening News): In Beijing, all kinds of extracurricular classes tend to be fully booked at the shortest of notice. In the context of China's exam-oriented education system, being one step ahead is more important than ever. If a student is to find school work easy, then they must be fully prepared before going to class. This is common practice for students in primary and junior middle schools. Parents hope to find premium resources in order to equip their children ahead of time, so that they themselves will feel secure. These parents should not always be the target of criticism, however, as they are just doing what they think is right for their children's future. It is the current education system that is to blame for the situation.

When these tutorial classes become real lessons catering to children's interests instead of just applying pressure on them, and all educational resources are sufficient to ensure a balance between supply and demand, then parents will be less anxious about the future of their children and we can expect a return to normality in the tutorial market.

Greater diversity

Xu Fuxiang (Economic Daily): Nowadays, extracurricular tutoring seems to have become compulsory for students in primary and middle schools. On one hand, for children to get into the top universities, tutorial classes are a must, but on the other, financial pressures stemming from such classes are a heavy burden for parents. Although the happiness of childhood is being stolen by these classes, it would be unwise to do away with these kinds of lessons all together.

Nowadays, not all such classes are designed for the purpose of entrance examinations. There are piano, violin, art and calligraphy classes, among others. Sports classes are also becoming increasingly popular, such as fencing and swimming, and there are science courses for robotics. More and more institutions are turning to classes that enhance other skills rather than just studying ability.

Even those classes that continue to focus on boosting students' academic performance are starting to employ more dynamic and enjoyable teaching methods. English classes, for example, now frequently use games and movies to convey the language, instead of simply bombarding students with English grammar points. As children feel more positively about attending these classes, they will also become more active in studying than before.

Therefore, it's unwise to completely rule out extracurricular tuition, and it is better to view it as a healthy supplement to regular education. It is also important to be discerning, so as to differentiate the qualified from the illegal. Education authorities should adopt an annual evaluation system for tutorial classes to this end. Meanwhile, it's necessary to encourage classes for subjects that cater to a wide range of interests, such as music, dance, drawing, and sports, while there should be some limitation on the number of classes offering intensive study. Lastly, schools and families should cooperate over reasonable arrangements for students' extracurricular classes, so that while still attending some, students can enjoy more of their summer and winter vacations.

Song Wei (Handan Evening News): Sending children to tutoring classes is not necessarily a bad thing, but before doing so, parents need to be well-informed about the choice they are about to make. They need to know about the classes and also their children's specific needs. If a student is struggling with a certain subject and can't keep up with the pace of the class, then a tutorial class may be a suitable option.

Parents should, however, try to prevent their children from becoming reliant on tutorial classes. Some students, having enrolled in tutorial classes, refuse to study as hard at school. As a result, their performance is even worse than before they began attending the extracurricular lessons. Teaching in schools is suitable for the majority of students, so parents should never put tutorial classes before standard education.

Cai Zhengqing (www.eastday.com): Recently, more and more parents have been sending their children to various sporting classes. For years, the focus in society has been on academic performance, while sports and the arts are often neglected. Education seems to have diverted from its original aim of creating a diverse, well-rounded citizenry. Now, the popularity of sports classes is bucking this trend. This is an encouraging phenomenon, as it marks the first time in recent years that parents seem willing to pay for classes that do not have a direct bearing on their children's university enrollment examinations. It looks as though parents are now paying more attention to their children's physical health and their overall development.

Furthermore, education authorities and schools should pay close attention to the popularity of sports lessons, as it perhaps suggests that physical education in schools is unsatisfactory. It is a reality that teachers of the arts and sports are in short supply at many schools, particularly in remote rural areas. Thus education authorities must try to fill the gap, so as to help the young generation develop in a more balanced way.

Copyedited by Laurence Coulton

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