In some countries young people have little leisure time and are under a lot of pressure to work hard on their studies

Particularly students in Asian countries are required to spend vast amounts of time either attending classes or in preparing for them. The causes can be attributed to the Education system, the expectations of parents and to the attitudes of the students themselves. Solutions range from decreasing the number of subjects in the curriculum, focusing less on exams and more on group learning, to have parents and students developed a greater awareness of the need to spend time away from studying. The Education System is often seen as a major contributor to the

problem

. The emphasis on schools achieving ever better exam results restricts creativity and initiative, as well as preventing

change

. Too often school administrators and teachers are judged by their students’ performance in exams, rather than on

such

less-easily assessed measures as student satisfaction, happiness or even their ability to ultimately find paid employment. If the System were to adopt different values in defining success,

then

schools might behave very differently. Parents play a significant role in

this

problem

. As families move to try to escape from the modern rural poverty, parents often place great emphasis and make a considerable financial sacrifice on educating their children in the hope that they will take them out of the poverty trap. In many parts of Asia parents still overly-influence their children in their choice of university course and in potential careers.

This

has resulted in considerable ‘over-supply’ in those courses perceived as leading to good incomes, particularly in banking and financial services. Parents do need to be much more aware of the interests and talents of their children in planning study paths. Too often students themselves contribute to the

problem

by being overly-competitive and unduly scared of being seen as a failure.

This

self-induced pressure is perhaps the most difficult to

change

as students are unwilling to disappoint their families and are often convinced that failure to reach the top academically means a life of poverty and worthlessness. If students could be shown that there are many other ways to judge the worth of people,

such

as creativity, leadership, inspiration, honesty and integrity,

then

the over-emphasis on success in examinations might diminish. To conclude, many people in Asia are particularly concerned that the lives of their children are being consumed by the perceived need for constant work and study. Educational administrators, parents and students all contribute to the

problem

, though few see ways to

change

it. Possible solutions involve changing the system itself to a less exam-centred curriculum, convincing parents that the workforce is over-crowded with unemployed graduates, and helping students to take the pressure off themselves by identifying other criteria of success. With these measures, the lives of children might

change

dramatically over time.