Kindergartens should not be elementary schools

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION recently issued a notice banning kindergartens from teaching primary school courses. China Youth Daily comments:

The notice, which forbids kindergartens teaching elementary school content, is a response to parents' mounting complaints that kindergartens are becoming more and more examination oriented and focusing on rote memory learning.

According to educational theory, kindergartens should focus on games rather than teaching. However, in recent years, an increasing number of kindergartens teach elementary school content and seek to impart knowledge and give skills training to kids. This has led to a tendency among kindergartens to act as elementary schools, which not only deprives the young children of their happiness, but also dampens the children's interest in learning and affects their healthy development.