Youngsters need more time to play, UN says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child released its observations on the issue based on periodic reports submitted by China in accordance with the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child. Hearings on the subject have been held in the Swiss city of Geneva in the past few weeks.
Hong Kong children should be given more time to play and relax, a United Nations committee has recommended.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child released its observations on the issue based on periodic reports submitted by China in accordance with the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child. Hearings on the subject have been held in the Swiss city of Geneva in the past few weeks.
According to the document, the committee is concerned about the "bullying in schools and competitive nature of the school system in Hong Kong, resulting in anxiety and depression among children and infringing on their right to play and rest".
It recommends the city take steps to reduce the competitive nature of education and promote the right of children to play and enjoy leisure time.
The remarks come as local and mainland parents are busy preparing their children for kindergarten and primary school interviews. A survey conducted by a family welfare group this summer found a fifth of parents in Tin Shui Wai send their children to two kindergartens a day.
Billy Wong Wai-yuk, executive secretary of the Hong Kong Committee on Children's Rights, said Article 31 of the UN convention specifically protects children's right to play and rest. It is, however, the least highlighted article among them all, she said.