Study for fun
Many students say that they do not know why they need to study; some of them think studying is not important. But studying is for a better future and realising our dreams. When we have this chance to study, why we don't treasure it?
We need to set a target for ourselves. For students, I think the first thing is to enjoy our school life. Don't say it is hard to study - think about the poor kids who cannot afford it, or who don't have the same opportunities.
Yip Wing-yee
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Wing-yee. If a man is starving, he will believe the slice of bread he gets is the best food in the world, and he will be grateful for it. He will be driven to seek more. But if a person is not starving, and he can find other things to eat, bread will not seem so important. On the other hand, if a person is forced to eat mounds of bread at every possible opportunity in their lives, they will begin to hate the very sight of it. So it is with education.
In poor countries, education is seen as a luxury. Children often have to help out at home, making food, herding cattle or fetching water. They might have to work on farms for six months of the year and only be allowed to go to school for a short time each year. Many children might even have to work to pay their own school fees, and so they treasure each moment at school.
But in Hong Kong it is completely the opposite. Education has become the bread that is force-fed to children at every possible opportunity. This is very sad, because for many it kills any spirit of curiosity and imagination that leads to true education. Instead of being drawn to discovery, students are overwhelmed by a tidal wave of information they believe they 'must know' and 'retain' to suit this exam or the next. This is not 'education'.
To put the fun back into education, students need to develop a curiosity about the world around them and understand that they will soon be in charge of that world.
Susan, Editor
