Nowadays, the youth is preoccupied with gaining academic achievements as early as possible because work environments become more and more competitive. In this sense it is crucial that the initial stages of the formal education of those young people deliver proof of skills and qualities that would be relevant in their professional fields, where proficiency in sports and cooking might be less important. At the same time the job competition is so pressing because all people want to lead healthy and normal lives, for which preparing food and doing sports is an absolute necessity.
On the one hand, academic knowledge is notably expandingbecoming notoriously more vast every each year, due to the simple fact that as scientists continue tokeep accumulateing more of it. While more abstract, the concepts, acquired in classes such as biology, chemistry and mathematics, are essential for the pupils’ success in university. Thousands of students drop out of engineering degrees every year because of the vast disparity between the difficulty of school level mathematics as opposed to college mathematics modules.
On the other hand, eradicating practical subjects from the syllabus would hinder students from growing into independent and functional professionals too. CertainlySure, a medical professional needs to learn that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but they also require need to have hands-on understanding of the human body. It would be difficult for a doctor to speak convincingly about the medically indisputable advantages of sports without ever experiencing them herself.
In conclusion, the distinction between “non-academic” and “academic” subjects creates dangerous implications for both sides of the argument. It is my understanding that for education to be effective and meaningful, it needs to integrate the practical aspects of life into the abstract studies of it. Since cooking is usually based on chemical processes, maybe it should be integrated as a practical experiment in chemistry classes. Physical education is related topart of biology, why not rebrand PE as new mandatory “My Own Body” specials? Hopefully one day affluentwealthier people could also learn how to pay their taxes by simply attending high school algebra.