Pre-teaching not necessary in kindergartens

IN THE NEXT 20 days or so, Beijing will launch circuit inspections of all kindergartens in the capital, with a focus on whether preschool children are being taught primary school lessons, the municipal education commission announced on Tuesday. Those kindergartens teaching primary school lessons will be downgraded in accordance with the relevant regulations. Comments:

Forcing preschool kids to learn lessons designed for primary school pupils is likely to reduce their interest in studying and thus their personal development. It calls for not only administrative supervision but also advanced educational ideas for kindergartens and parents in a bid to end the appeal of "proactive" promotion. In other words, such ill-considered pre-teaching can only be abandoned when all parties involved reach a consensus on proper teaching methods.

Feng Huiyan, former head of Beijing No 1 Kindergarten, March 18