作者： admin

Across the United Arab Emirates, a growing educational concern is emerging as children transition directly from classroom instruction to a relentless cycle of co-curricular engagements. This phenomenon sees students rushing to tennis practices, music lessons, swimming sessions, and language classes with minimal downtime in between.

Educational institutions frequently promote these supplemental activities, whether included in standard tuition fees or offered as premium additions, while many parents independently arrange external programs. The central debate has evolved beyond questioning the value of such engagements to examining whether contemporary schedules adequately preserve essential childhood experiences—including unstructured rest, creative imagination, and spontaneous play.

Parental perspectives vary significantly regarding activity management. Dubai resident Arijit Nandi advocates for his 9-year-old son’s intensive regimen—featuring pre-dawn tennis, midweek swimming, weekend guitar, and additional academic coaching—as a purposeful strategy for energy channeling and digital detoxification. He emphasizes his child’s genuine enjoyment and regular fatigue assessments.

Conversely, Japanese expatriate Kenji Takahashi adopts a more measured approach for his 10-year-old daughter, balancing piano, karate, and art with protected downtime for bicycle riding and social play. His philosophy centers on energy guidance rather than control, ensuring activities serve developmental purpose rather than mere scheduling saturation.

Educational specialists identify concerning trends beneath these well-intentioned arrangements. Girish Hemnani, a Dubai-based life coach, observes that families and institutions are unconsciously perpetuating a productivity race that creates an ‘illusion of productivity’ while depriving children of neurological development opportunities. He explains that boredom activates the brain’s Default Mode Network, which facilitates imagination and self-reflection—processes compromised by constant scheduling.

Research indicates that free play fundamentally develops executive functioning, including planning capabilities, self-regulation, and initiative-taking. Hemnani further warns that overscheduled children risk losing spontaneity and personal agency, particularly when parents normalize ‘hustle culture’ due to their own professional pressures and digital consumption habits.

School leadership is responding to these concerns with revised approaches. Natalia Svetenok, Principal of Woodlem British School in Ajman, states unequivocally that ‘a tired child cannot thrive,’ advocating for activities that generate joy rather than pressure. Similarly, The Aquila School’s Principal Wayne Howsen emphasizes that co-curricular activities must stem from genuine student interest rather than functioning as extended childcare, noting that choice-driven participation builds teamwork, problem-solving, and multilingual skills more effectively.

The emerging consensus among UAE educators and parents suggests a paradigm shift toward balanced scheduling that honors both structured development and essential childhood experiences.

Africa continues to grapple with the world’s most severe road safety crisis, as highlighted by recent tragic incidents including a collision involving former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua in Nigeria and multiple minibus accidents in South Africa that claimed at least 25 lives. These events underscore a systemic problem across the continent, where road fatality rates dramatically outpace global averages despite Africa accounting for merely 3% of the world’s vehicles.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the continent experiences 26 road deaths per 100,000 people—significantly higher than the global average of approximately 18 and more than double Europe’s rate of fewer than 10 fatalities. This translates to over 300,000 annual road crash fatalities, with the World Health Organization reporting increasing numbers despite global improvements.

The unique dynamics of African road usage contribute substantially to this crisis. With limited personal vehicle ownership due to economic constraints, roads become chaotic landscapes where pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks compete for space without adequate infrastructure. Approximately 40% of African road deaths involve pedestrians—twice the global average—reaching nearly 50% in some nations.

A 2024 WHO analysis reveals that few African countries have developed transportation systems accommodating these diverse travel modes. Inadequate public transit forces millions to rely on overloaded minibuses and motorcycle taxis, often operating without proper safety standards. South Africa exemplifies this challenge, where minibus taxis transport over 10 million daily commuters despite ongoing regulatory struggles regarding driver licensing, vehicle roadworthiness, and traffic law enforcement.

Compounding these issues are generally weak traffic law enforcement and substandard road infrastructure safety ratings, with only a minimal percentage of Africa’s road network meeting acceptable quality standards. The December-January holiday period proves particularly lethal, as demonstrated by South Africa’s reported 1,427 road deaths during a recent 42-day span, averaging over 30 daily fatalities despite having one of the continent’s more developed road systems.