A subject with a point
A new subject will be included in the new 3+3+4 education system, which is to be adopted next year. It is called liberal studies.
The object of liberal studies, as we all know, is to teach students to think critically about issues that affect society. Perhaps one way to think of it is as history - which teaches us to think of the past critically so as to avoid committing the same mistakes again - but focused on the present.
In other words, I think both subjects teach very similar skills and have similar aims, and a combination of them could be extremely useful in preparing you for life.
History is probably a subject that everybody should study. But in the new 3+3+4 curriculum, liberal studies will be a core subject. If you do not plan to choose history under the new curriculum, then I suggest you make the most of your liberal studies classes.
I am sure you will learn many things that will benefit you in life.
Mark So
From the Editor
Thank you for your thoughtful letter, Mark. History is a fantastic subject, and China has so much of it. Most people think it's just like reading stories of people who have little influence today. This is not true.
We can learn a lot of life skills from these people. We can also learn from the way events unfolded in the past to predict how things will happen today.
Of course there is also the saying that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. In other words if we don't know that a certain way of thinking or doing things has failed in the past, we are likely to try it again, with much the same results.
Susan, Editor
