What is the purpose of a school education? Ruminations on this question by schools, education officials, intergovernmental organisations and governments have materialised into laudable 21st-century goals.
But parents are still very concerned about students' workloads. They blame schools for the stress their children are experiencing. Teachers feel parents have unrealistic expectations, and are themselves the source of the pressure that leads to stress.
It is time for both parents and schools to revisit and redefine the purpose of education in today's competitive world.
Parents should stop trying to give their children a competitive edge through after-school programmes, increased extracurricular activities and high expectations.
Likewise, schools should stop increasing students' workloads to maintain their reputations of excellence based on secondary school examination results.
One movement gaining increasing ground is "positive education", which challenges the current model of education that values academic attainment above all other goals.
