Past GT essay - In modern society, many people think that primary schools should teach science and technology rather than history and geography which are useless and boring. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Some people opine that traditional subjects such as history and geography should not be taught in primary schools as they are boring and just add to the burden on primary school students. They believe that science and technology should be there in primary schools. I agree that arts subjects should be axed from the primary school curricula. A number of arguments surround my opinion.

To begin with, it has to be made clear that removing history and geography from the primary school syllabus does not mean these subjects are less important. These subjects are as important as science and technology. The main concern is to lessen some burden off the primary school children. These subjects must be incorporated in middle and high school curricula. At the primary school level, children need to be introduced to science and technology because today’s children belong to an era of science and technology.

Secondly, if teachers have to teach fewer subjects, they would be able to do so in greater depth. If there is curriculum overload, then all subjects would be taught superficially and the foundation of the child would not be strong. If all subjects are taught, then children usually resort to rote learning which is definitely inferior to meaningful learning. What is more, science and technology are more interesting than history and geography, so in early years, children will develop interest in studying which will continue into later years.

Finally, schools should give priority to science and technology skills, with a greater focus on children's health, wellbeing and personal development. What is generally seen is that the weight of the primary school student’s bag is heavier than the weight of the student himself. So the child is physically unhealthy and cannot bloom properly. Their individuality is snubbed. At the primary stage the child should be engaged in joyfully exploring the world around and harmonizing with it. The objectives at this stage are to nurture the curiosity of the child about the world and not to overburden the child.

To conclude, the demands of society on primary schools have risen and continue to rise but if we are to establish a 'world class' high quality curriculum, we must face the reality of prescribing less so that teachers can better teach and children can better learn. Science and technology must be started early and the arts subjects can be started after primary school years.