What Children Have Lost by the Modernisation of Education: A Comparison of Experiences in Western Europe and Eastern Asia

The discovery of the proper value of childhood during the 18th century in Europe was an important break-through. People began to respect childhood as a sacred world that should not be judged from the standpoint of adults. However, in today' world many children are subjected to all kinds of physical and mental pain, including the so-called examination hell in some Asian countries. Children now live in a paradoxical situation. Theoretically they have obtained the right to enjoy their own world, approved and protected by adults, but in practice they cannot adapt themselves smoothly to the world mainly ruled by the logic of grown-ups. This paper argues that it is time to re-evaluate what has been lost under the slogan of modernisation. The solution is not simply to return to the pre-modern situation but rather to consider what elements from the past could be re-activated to the benefit of children today.