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Eli Winski

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Should kids have longer school days?

It could increase knowledge, but it will cost more money.

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  • Patricia Gomes

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    TED Translator
    Sep 10 2011: School systems are different everywhere. I'm from Brazil and here a child (5 to 11) spends an average of 4 hours in school, either in the morning or in the aternoon. I agree with what was mentioned above that just increasing the number of hours without increasing the actual quality of the education given means nothing. Still, I believe the number of hours could be increased, specially once most kids have to go to other kinds of school to complement their education - my daughter, for example, goes twice a week to english school (3 extra hours) and sports practice (3 extra hours). I believe the regular school should provide all that. In order to do so, more hours would be required.

    In terms of cost, sadly I come from a reality in which appart from paying the taxes which were supposed to provide us school for our children, I have to bear to cost of my child's education. At least in my country, it would be nice to see the government spending more money in education (and spending it more wisely as well) and kids spending more time at school, not as a prison or obligation, but actually learning things that will be useful for their future at the same time as contributing to the future of our country as a whole.

    As of the last 5 years or so, Brazil has witnessed unprecedented growth. For the first time people have faith that this country may actually live up to its potential. Yet, as the number of jobs increased and the companies started paying better salaries, they have also become more demanding. The general complaint around the country has shifted from "there arent enought jobs" to "there arent enough people capable of taking the jobs that have been created". The saddest part is that the requirements are not that high: most people dont get a placement because they dont have HIGHSCHOOL LEVEL READING SKILLS. So what do we do now? Stop growing?

    It is high time government understood that INVESTMENT in education is not SPENDING.

    • Rebecca Cutts

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      Sep 10 2011: Here in the UK once you enter full-time education at around 5 or 6 you spend six hours a day in school, five days a week, not including homework. Even here you only start recieving a good education once you reach about 13, and depending upon which school you go to you may not recieve it then. The only ways to get a good education are to pay extremely high fees for a private school or to do it yourself.

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