What to include in or exclude from educational curricula has been subject of heated debates in the educational arena, particularly in the last few decades, and especially with the deep and vast cultural, social, technological and psychological changes that the world societies have witnessed. These debates get even more intense when it comes to the education of young students. Many parents and educators complain that children today undergo tremendous pressure in the 21st-century educational systems as a result of the heavy course load and non-academic activities. In an attempt to relieve some of this pressure, some people suggest that removing what they label “non-academic” subjects. I personally consider this idea as a dangerous step that may have serious social, professional, and psychological implications on society as whole in the long run.
to begin with, the distinction between what is strictly academic and what is not always evident. The criteria upon which school subjects tend to be categorised have changed throughout time. What was once deemed, from a positivistic, objectivist point of view, as the only subjects worthy of the labels “scientific” and “academic”, such as mathematics and physics, are seen in, from a post-modern perspective, as mere forms of knowledge production that are no more objective than history or literary studies. What is more, what came to be known as “the soft skills”, including personal and interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence have gained more prominence in educational, professional and social contexts. Those who are successful academically, in the job market or in their personal lives are the ones who master social and emotional skills together with the hard skills of counting and lab experimenting.
Additionally, if we were to remove subjects that are classified by some as non-academic, like cookery or physical education, we would be constraining the students’ opportunities to develop those very soft skills that are necessary for their future success. Physical education is not a luxury but a necessity in our internet-dominated world. While children had the chance to run in the fields in their home villages or run for daily errands in their neighbourhoods some thirty years ago, children today are glued to screen, be it smartphones, tablets or computers. Having the chance to work out, as an inherent part of their education, is crucial for the physical and mental safety of the young generations.
Moreover, removing “non-academic” subjects risks producing a generation of people who are very limited in their thinking and professional skills. Let us the example of cooking. We we teach a child to cook, we not only give them the opportunity to learn how to prepare food, but we enable then to acquire patience, open-mindedness, and collaborative work. We also give them the chance to learn about different cultures and worldviews. Cooking is about so much more than the motor skills of frying, kneading and chopping.
Eventually, the line between the academic and the non-academic is very fine and sometimes even fluid. What may seem for some as non-academic is actually an intrinsic part of the holistic education of students and their preparation for the job market and for life. We need the non-academic just as we need the traditionally academic courses in our school syllabi.