Some people think that a sense of competition in children should be encouraged. Others believe that children who are taught to cooperate rather than compete become more useful adults. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

One of the highly controversial issues today relates to whether children should be instilled with competitiveness or learn to be cooperative to become more valuable citizens. In

this

essay, I am going to examine

this

question from both points of view and

then

give my own opinion on the matter. On one side of the

,

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argument there are people who argue that the benefits of being competitive considerably outweigh its disadvantages. The main reason for believing

this

is that only when youngsters are forced to strive for something can they unlock their full potential.

This

is because they have to work harder, move faster or think smarter to outperform their rivals in a contest, resulting in

such

soft skills as problem-solving and decision-making skills being nurtured. It is

also

possible to say that a sense of competition can lead to a sense of accomplishment. One good illustration of

this

is the exhilaration shown on children’s faces when they score a brilliant goal. That explosive feeling can teach them the value of having the will to win a football match and spur them on to claim more victories in their future endeavours in various fields.

On the other hand

, it is

also

possible to make an opposing case. It is often argued that in ,fact cooperation skills can help turn minors into more helpful grown-ups. People often have

this

opinion because by collaborating on school projects, children can learn how to negotiate or compromise with their peers, which are

also

desirable qualities in today’s workforce. A second point is that children who cooperate with others tend to be more altruistic.

That is

to ,say they learn to put their partners

first

,

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and support and sympathize with them towards their common goals. A particularly good example here is the increasing participation of Vietnamese secondary school students in volunteer work through which they understand that the power of collective effort can help those in need. In conclusion, I believe that both arguments have their merits. On balance,

however

, I tend to feel that it is better to arouse a sense of competition in juveniles as competitiveness breeds more innovation in society than just sheer cooperation.