Strong casefor banningextra classes

My granddaughter envies her younger cousin for the boy has gone to the countryside with his ayi or housemaid for the summer vacation, while the fifth-grade primary school pupil has to stay in the city to attend extra-curricular classes. The boy has not been enrolled in school yet, though he has finished his kindergarten "pre-school education".

Ignoring my protest, my daughter decided to send the girl to "summer vacation courses" - what an ironical term - of "Olympic math", English and other subjects. My poor granddaughter has to go to such training venues three hours a day, five days a week. All her schoolmates and all primary and high school students in China's cities do the same - to different extents.

The courses are not compulsory. But actually they are compulsory - in a certain sense - for no parent can afford to keep away their kids from them. They do not want them to lag behind other children in the competition.