IELTS Task 2 Sample Answer 31 - Some developed countries have reduced the number of school hours. Is this a positive or negative development?

The education system is constantly undergoing a lot of changes in order to meet with the challenges and complexities in the world. One such noticeable change is with regard to the duration of academic hours in some developed nations. I believe this trend would only lead to a negative outcome.

Firstly, in order to provide thorough knowledge about various subjects to the students, the teachers may have to use various techniques which require a lot of time and patience. This in-depth learning is essential not only for academic excellence but also for success in future life. But when the class duration is shortened, the instructional time in schools would considerably reduce as a result of which imparting knowledge with strong foundation would not be possible. Thus one can undoubtedly say that the quality of education may have to be compromised with the adaptation of such a measure.

Besides that, the initiative to reduce the class hours would lead to the removal of non-core subjects like physical education and art. Non-academic subjects provide relaxation and boost the creativity in children which is as important as gaining knowledge for their holistic development. Such subjects are often omitted from school curriculum because of time shortage to complete the teaching of core subjects and in situations like these there would be no option for children to relieve their stress and refresh their minds. Thus it would affect the overall development of children.

To sum up, unlike the past, the duration of classes in schools in some of the developed countries has reduced considerably. Even though it may sound as a highly appreciable measure in the first glance, reducing the class hours can only affect the education system negatively.