Can postponing school starting age solve China’s“Boy Crisis?”

education has always been a deeply emotional topic for chinese parents. A recent proposal calling for postponing boys school starting age by one year has led to even more heated discussions on the topic.

Based on his research， chen shangbao， an education expert from shenzhen of south chinas Guangdong Province， warned that chinas “boy crisis” was becoming increasingly alarming. Girls are outperforming boys at every level of education and in nearly all academic subjects， as well as in aspects of self-improvement and motivation， according to chens report released in late december 2016. in response， chen suggested that young boys should enter primary schools one year later than their female peers to flatten differences in their physical and psychological development.

the proposal prompted contrasting reactions about whether the delay could really help solve chinas “boy crisis.” supporters believe it would be easier for boys to build self-confidence and master what is taught at school by postponing their first year in school. however， opponents argue that intelligence is not the determinant factor for academic performance. A tailored teaching method taking into account the male pupilsenergetic and playful nature would be a more adequate solution to their issue of lagging

behind.

PRO

Du Yu Psychological consultant

I suggest boys should go to school one year later than girls as they generally fall behind female peers in terms of mental maturity， and thus are prone to develop a sense of frustration and inferiority. I once had a patient who was a freshman at middle school. This boy started attending school at six and failed to develop good study habits. Then， his mother found he was becoming more and more introverted， even refusing to play with his classmates. There are many boys like this patient who didnt obtain sufficient recognition at the start of their schooling years and developed psychological issues that would influence their whole life afterwards.

CON

Guo Yuanpeng Netizen

I dont think postponing the age of schooling will solve the so-called “boy crisis.” First， the proposal fails to consider the parents mindsets. Most parents expect their kids to attend school as soon as they are able to do so； for one thing， they dont want kids to “fall behind at the starting line，” and for another， sending kids off to school can greatly relieve their burden. Currently， with both parents having careers， taking care of children， espe- cially pre-school ones， is both time- and energy-consuming. Parents are unable to manage both family responsibilities and career tasks at the same time and have to turn to the kidsgrandparents for help.

Second， the delay will not help boys grow. Education is important because it helps kids become psychologically mature. But kids cannot receive a proper education by staying at home.

If the goal is to flatten differences between boys and girls， I think a diversified teaching method focusing on male pupils distinctive characteristics should be put in place. CA

CON

Hou lixin Employee

Academic achievements are the result of personal efforts， regardless of gender or age. True talents still manage to stand out， while physical maturity will not make a fool intelligent. Therefore，I dont think delaying boys from attending school will help them succeed better.

There are differences everywhere， and they make the world beautiful. In reality， many boys outpace female peers in growth. If a mandatory postponement is enforced， how can such a group of boys get the education they need？

Teachers should give special care to introverted boys and help them grow. Generally， boys are more energetic and playful. We need to apply more patience and diversified methods to guide and help them build confidence and cultivate good learning habits. In this way， we can improve the boys jeopardized position under the current score-based education system.

PRO

Wu Bihu Professor at Peking University

A unified standard age for school admission fails to take into account the disparity between each kids emotional maturity and psychological development. From what I have seen in universities， I believe boys should attend school later than girls. Male students generally fall behind female peers in academic performance， not only in primary and secondary schools， but also in universities. Some argue that boys can catch up when they start to better concentrate on their studies in junior high school. But the facts say otherwise. Girls still outnumber boys in universities. More and more girls are obtaining the highest scores in college entrance examinations.

If male students attend school later， their cognitive abilities could match that of girls in the same class. Otherwise， a sense of frustration will haunt them throughout their whole schooling years. In the future， this may lead to a lack of self-confidence in the boys.

CON

Zhang limei Media commentator

Admittedly， female students nowadays outpace male ones in academic performance， not only in primary schools， but also in universities. There are more and more girls doing great jobs even at science subjects once dominated by male. But blaming the schooling age is just wrong.

At primary school level， intelligence is not the determinant factor for academic performance. Even if boys fall behind girls at this stage， they can catch up in high school. The reasons why boys lag behind are complicated. Their relative immaturity when compared with girls of the same age may be one of them， but not the decisive one.

In this era of Internet， boys are playful and easily distracted by video games， thus spending less time on study than girls. Besides， current evaluation systems are comparatively advantageous to those who memorize and concentrate best. Without a more comprehensive evaluation standard， the boys potential cannot be fully unlocked and girls will continue to surpass them academically.

CON

Han Yu Stay-at-home mom

I dont want my son to attend school one year later. It is unfair. Overstating the gender difference is also a kind of discrimination and it will also cause psychological damages. What should be done instead is to create a fair study environment and correct deficiencies in the current education system so that both boys and girls can grow healthily and learn happily.

A mandatory delay in schooling would isolate boys from their female peers and deprive them of opportunities to play and grow with girls of the same age. But it is precisely by playing and studying together that boys and girls learn to get along with each other and grow mature. Therefore， the adverse effects from such a proposal outweigh its potential benefits. Requiring six-year-old boys to stay home for one more year is just wasting time and does them no good.

PRO

Sun Yunxiao Researcher at China Youth and Children Research Center

International studies have reached a consensus that the early language development of boys lags behind that of girls. On average， a five-year-old boy just matches a girl of three years and a half in communicative capabilities. Girls generally outpace boys in speaking， reading and getting along with others. Therefore， I think it is smart that boys attend schools one year later than girls. But this should not apply to male pupils older than eight years old. The ideal age for primary school is seven for boys and six for girls， when both male and female children are cognitively able of understanding what they are taught.

For boys， the earlier they attend school， the more frustrated they may feel. Lagging behind girls， boys may lose self-confidence， especially during primary school， and further develop mental problems and behavior issues.

But this is not the fundamental solution. Boys prefer to engage in learning by computers or through hands-on projects rather than monotonous lectures. Schools should adjust their teaching methods to meet boys unique and diversified needs.