LETTER: Children should love learning

Now that we have a government of national unity, could it “knock” some sense into the schooling system?

My granddaughter is in grade 2. She is flooded with hours of homework daily, which invariably the grandparents must help with (parents are too busy or exhausted from their workloads). She carries two school bags, likely leading to back problems and a hunch in the future. I did not carry so many books even at university! Schooling is killing our children’s spirit, creativity, enthusiasm and energy for learning. No wonder most hate school and have little interest. It’s drudgery of epic proportions.

Children must enjoy going to school and love learning. There should be no homework from grades 1 to 3. Focus obsessively on the three Rs in the classroom — reading, writing and arithmetic, which is sine qua non for any future success. Cut out the bells and whistles and fads. What good is learning robotics and coding if children cannot read and write properly? Can we do better?

Prof Hoosen Rasool
By e-mail

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