In some countries it is thought advisable that children begin formal education at four years old while in others they do not have to start school until they are seven or eight How far do you agree with either of these view

The school starting age is very important for the future prospects of children. While in some countries, people believe that the appropriate age is four; in others, the age of children to start formal education is normally seven or eight. In my opinion, I strongly agree with this latter view.

Admittedly, it is claimed that by dint of starting school earlier, children will have a chance to learn more than the ones at the same age, who still stay at home. Therefore, they can develop and sharpen their thinking very early and may achieve the greater academic result in the future. However, the irony here is that hardly could a four years old child follow the school curriculum with many difficult subjects such as Math or Science, while their mind and their constitution have not grown up sufficiently. In addition, they have to suffer many tensions to get good marks at school, which may lead to their stress and depression. For instance, in my hometown, some of the children who begin to study earlier, easily to be under-pressure than others.

On the other hand, a child at 7 or 8 years old, who are more mature and have more experience in their life, can totally stand all the pressure at school. Moreover, with an advantage of developed brain, an older child will obtain a better performance than a younger child in academic test. For example, my nephew, who got to school at five, only ranked 15th in his class according the result of Math exams. Hence, whereas older children always feel confident to study and take the exam , youngers may be not reliant on their ability due to the poor result at class. As a consequence, this will cause the detrimental effect on their mental development.

In conclusion, although the fact is that the starting age for school can be optional in some countries, parents should consider carefully and do not take their children to school too early at four years old.