Children, The Family and Health: What it Takes to Give Children Long Life
The Singapore Workshop: Avoiding Excessive Stress On Children
During the past two decades, Thailand’s rapid rate of development has increased the competition among Thai people, especially those living in the Bangkok Metropolitan area. One major area of competition involves children and their education. Because parents recognize that their children must be prepared to compete for jobs in the future, they put pressure on them to perform well in school. Too many times, this can cause stress on the children.
Parents have become obsessed with enrolling their children in a good, yet popular school. Some parents want their children to be well mannered and know how to show the proper respect when required. Other parents want their children to funther their education in a prestigious university. Thus, they send their child to an appropriate school for the proper training. They begin this at a very young age, even as young as kindergarten. Trying to measure up to their parent’s expectations puts pressure on the children to excel and please their parents. Also, many schools require entrance examinations or an interview for children sometimes as young as four or five years old. Thus, the children have to do extra study outside their normal studies in order to gain entrance to the school their parents desire.
Parents want what is best for their child. Sometimes, though, they fail to consider how far the school is or how long it takes to travel each morning and evening. When a school is very far from home, it is necessary to wake the children up early, perhaps even as early as 5:00 a.m., in order to avoid the horrendous traffic jams of Bangkok.
One’s daily tasks are now done in the car, even such a task as eating breakfast. Thus, many cars have been transformed into a house. Many children eat, sleep, and even do homework on the drive to and from school. Because of the many time restraints, once children arrive home and finish their homework, which is a requirement, it is very close to bedtime. This leaves no time for exercise and freeplay which are essential to stress-relief and physical well being.
One solution towards solving the problem of mass transportation in traffic congestion is to initiate a public school bus system One lane on the road could be designated strictly for school buses. Carpooling, along with different school dismissal times for kindergarten, primary, and secondary, would also be a possible solution to the traffic problem.
The Ministry of Education has attempted to overcome the situation by giving students in the residential area priority in enrolling in the nearby public schools. This, however, applies only to a certain percentage of students. In 1996, the Ministry also sent a committee to all private schools to evaluate each on a set of standards already met by the public schools. Once every school meets the requirements of the government, their Standard Assurance in education and all relevant areas of learning and social responsibility will be in effect. The Ministry has also just begun a new project in 1999 in which twelve years of basic education will be provided free to all children. It will be formally in operation by the year 2002 in all school. It is hoped that this will cut down on competition in educating Thai children in the future.
In order to balance the hectic weekday routines, parents should use the weekends in a worthy manner to help children relax and be happy. Parents should not overlook their children’s happiness or their mental state. They should realize a young person enjoys life more than most adults. Parents should raise their children using their own common sense, not the model set by the society. Allow children to be children, to study and participate in extra curricular activities, such as dance or sports, instead of forcing them to do things they do not enjoy. If children are happy and content, their learning potential will be better enhanced. A child’s development depends on both mental and physical health.
Last Modified: November 29, 2002