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The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation:
Parents generally consider that the most important life skills for junior secondary school students (aged between 12 and 15) are "Know how to get on well with other people" and "Able to manage one's emotion", according to a recent survey by the Committee on Home-School Co-operation (CHSC). Comparatively speaking, parents attach less importance to childrenˇ¦s ability to do housework.
Other essential life skills, in order of their importance as considered by the respondents, are "Know how to take care of one's appearance", "Able to manage one's time effectively", "Take initiative in learning", "Know how to make use of information technology", "Able to develop one's potential", "Able to manage one's finances" and "Able to assist with household chores".
The respondents were particularly asked about the performance of their own children (aged between 12 and 15) in the areas of "Time management", "Financial management", "Self-learning" and "Housework". The results show that most parents were satisfied with their children's performance in the first three areas. Nevertheless, the parents indicated that their children seldom assisted with household chores; and 50% said that their children never cooked meals nor did washing and ironing.
Professor Wong Po-choi, the CHSC Chairman, said at the press briefing today (July 25) that all the above-mentioned life skills were equally important, and parents should not neglect any one of them.
"For example, if parents attach little importance to their children's ability of doing housework and do not give them encouragement; naturally, their children would not have good performance in this aspect. It is important for parents to understand that children can have greater confidence, develop stronger sense of responsibility as well as belonging to their family through assisting with household chores. All these attributes are essential to their children's growth," he continued.
Speaking on the research findings, Dr Sandra Tsang Kit-man, Vice-chairman of the CHSC, urged parents to nurture their children's important life skills through arranging suitable summer activities according to their children's developmental needs.
"For children with weaker self-discipline, their parents should employ positive reinforcement by helping the children draw up a timetable for the school summer holidays, and encouraging them to improve their daily habits. Moreover, parents can make good use of the community facilities and resources to enhance their children's interest in learning and their self-learning ability," she said.
Professor Wong added, "Generally speaking, there are lessons and extra-curricular activities in schools to nurture students' life skills. What is crucial is that parents should co-operate closely with schools in encouraging their children's involvement in such activities. At home, parents should engage their children in household chores so as to develop their sense of responsibility and enhance their basic life skills for an all-round development."
He also appealed to parent-teacher associations of schools to launch "Children Assisting with Housework" Programme which is beneficial to children's learning and development.
The survey on Parents' Views on the Essential Life Skills of Junior Secondary School Students was conducted between April 27 and May 17. A total of 535 questionnaires were completed during telephone interviews. Some 70% of the respondents were female, with half of them being working mothers; while the majority of the 30% male respondents were working fathers. In terms of educational background, over 70% of the respondents had received secondary education or above and 10% of them attained post-secondary level or above.
The executive summary of the survey can be accessed on the website of the CHSC (http://embhsc.hkedcity.net).
Ends/Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:18
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