Schools should focus on academic success and passing examinations. Skill such as cookery, dressmaking and woodwork should not be taught at school as it is better to learn these from family and friends. To what extent do you agree or disagree ?

Schools should focus on academic success and passing examinations. Skills such as cookery, dressmaking and woodwork should not be taught at school as it is better to learn these from family and friends. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is a universal truth that education has a considerable bearing on people’s personal development. Given the magnitude of schooling, what should or should not be covered in the curriculum is a perennial debate. A school of thought holds that schools only offer subjects that students will be tested on, and practical skills are of little importance and, hence, should be excluded from the scope of the study program. Personally, I disagree with this statement on both counts. 

Firstly, it is a mistake to consider passing exams of all students as the sole purpose of academic learning, which pigeonhole the value of education. In the attempt of earthlings to make sense of the world, the knowledge acquired from subjects such as physics and biology helps us satiate this intrinsic need, more than passing the tests. For instance, had it not been for Newton’s law of universal gravitation and other related radical theories taught in the study program, students would have had no comprehensive insights into the falling objects and how the planets moved around the sun. Furthermore, while academic subjects seem quite divorced from everyday life, they are actually highly applicable. Solving equations in schools can stand out as an example. Despite being often decried by students and completely pointless, this skill gained from this exercise proves to be wonderfully useful in many real-life situations. Thus, there is more meaning in studying academic subjects than just assessment.

Secondly, I do believe that practical skills should be incorporated into the school curriculum. To begin with, it plays a dispensable role to help them to be better prepared for life by teaching these skills. To cite an example, giving students culinary know-how will not only enable them to meet their own nutritional needs but also be emboldened to live independently. Moreover, the students may be more excited and interested in learning through the study program including skill classes. After having exclusively academic subjects causes discouragement among students, a dose of fun and practicality in lessons on cooking, dressing and so on can be a kind of entertainment and help them feel more motivated.

In conclusion, I strongly object to the view that academic knowledge should be taught merely for testing purposes. Schools also should involve classes of practical skills in the education of school-goers.