Are extracurricular classes necessary?

Editor’s note: Extracurricular classes or private supplementary tutoring is growing around the world particularly in China. Normally, in major Chinese cities, children have two or three extra lessons outside school. Parents in China pay much for their children to be tutored as they may feel inadequate if they do not help their child succeed in every way. However, it does pile economic pressure on parents and increase study burden of pupils. Are extracurricular classes necessary for students in China?  Forum readers share their opinions.

seneca (Expat in China)

Many of the parents of these pupils lack higher education themselves. They have too high ambitions for their own children. They are not intelligent enough to distinguish between chaff and real education. They have a purely quantitative idea of education. Their children will be disadvantaged in real life with this pseudo-education imposed on them by their parents.