Survey: More Parents Want Schools To Teach Their Kids Social Skills

A survey has revealed that more parents want schools to teach kids social skills to ensure they receive a holistic education.

The third annual ASG Parents Report Card survey found that in over 1800 parents, grandparents and guardians, more than two thirds believe schools should do more to teach children social skills, with half saying teachers should be adding lessons about basic social and life skills.

The strongest demand came from among Indian and Asian parents.

ASG chief executive John Velegrinis said that although parents teach their kids social and life skills, integrating these skills into a child’s all-round education have become increasingly important.

“I think parents are now challenged with children being perhaps slightly more introspective and spending more alone time on screens and so the poor socialisation aspect might be more prominent in their thinking,” he told AAP on Tuesday.

“They are actually not saying its the school’s responsibility. They are clear about the fact that it’s a parental responsibility.

“What they’d like to do is have that supported in the schools.”

The survey also revealed that only about one third of parents believed school was the best place for their child to learn about sexuality, but more Indian and Asian parents want their children to learn about sex at school, compared to Australian parents. “For some parents, sexual education may be a culturally sensitive topic which is not openly discussed, therefore Indian and other Asian parents may also rely on schools for help and support in communicating this topic successfully with children,” the ASG report card said.

In terms of cyber safety, over half the parents surveyed want teachers to do more to protect their children from cyber predators, particularly for students in early learning and primary school.

However, parents are divided whether homework is a good idea or not for children. Some say that too much homework can cause their children to become exhausted, while others say schools weren’t giving out enough homework.

Source: Au.news.yahoo.com