It has been suggested that primary children should learn how to grow vegetables and keep animals. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
It is advisable for primary children that they should learn to cultivate vegetable crops and also to keep pets and raise them. I believe there are advantages as well as disadvantages. In my opinion, the disadvantages are more than the advantages in this case because I believe it is too early for primary kids to learn this.
On the one hand, if we see the advantages of including the studies of crop cultivation and nurturing animals in the small kid’s syllabus, they can develop a sense of responsibility which can help mould their characters to be vigilant and liable members of society in the future. Also, they would become more empathetic towards the farmer, seeing them working hard and learning that hard labour is the reality for us for getting to eat food. It can also be an alternative career choice for the kids when they grow up. For instance, during the covid-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs and relocated to rural areas. Some of them found their farming and livestock husbandry skills life-saving.
On the contrary, one of the disadvantages of this can be exposed to various hazardous pesticides and herbicides to kids. This, in turn, can cause injuries like burning, poisoning, or respiratory illness. Apart from this, children are more likely to suffer injuries inflicted by animals. Not only do they suffer from injuries, but also certain infectious diseases, such as rabies or scratches from cats, to name a few. Furthermore, children need to study and gain knowledge for various career prospects. So if they are engaged in farming or keeping animals, chances are they would feel more interested in it and less interested in academic studies.
To conclude, knowledge of crops and animals benefits school-going kids because it allows them to value it. However, its disadvantages outweigh its advantage. While it can harm the kid’s health by exposing them to hazardous fertilizers, they can also catch an illness from the pet if proper care is not taken. Moreover, it will often distract them from their studies.
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