Entry 8 - October 16, 2013

Asia’s parents suffering 'education fever'

October 16, 2013 BBC News

A smart 18 year old boy named Zhang Yang was accepted into a prestigious medicine college in Hefei. Zhang Yang's father, Zhang Jiasheng, killed himself by swallowing pesticide because he feared that he wouldn't be able to afford his son's tuition fees. Although this case is extremely rare, it is an example of how East Asian families are spending more and more money on getting their children the best education. The parents of these children are suffering from something called "education fever" where the parents feel forced to make big choices to make them able to pay for the tuition.  Some families even sell their apartments just to send their kids to school. The government believes that this education obsession is damaging society and it's becoming more and more of a problem.

     I think that this is a huge problem for not only the parents who are losing the money, but the kids. The children are put under a lot of pressure to excel in school because many of their parents have already decided what they want the children to do, sometimes the parents decide this even before they are born! Education fever is a huge problem for the East Asian families because it is causing very much stress and depression. A huge factor for Korea's low birth rate would be the amount of money and work it takes to get a child through school. I personally think that East Asia needs to calm down with the school and let the citizens enjoy their lives more with less pressure. They need to get rid of this education fever as soon as they can.