IELTS Essay: Children Farming

Sample Answer

Some feel farming vegetables and taking care of animals should be added to the primary school curriculum. In my opinion, though there are drawbacks related to its feasibility, it would be a positive overall.

The disadvantages involve the struggles to implement this practice. Firstly, inner city schools do not have easy access to farms. A school in New York City already faced with rising student numbers and a lack of resources cannot be expected to bus thousands of students to nearby farmland on a regular basis. That would unequivocally be a poor allocation of limited resources. Secondly, even schools located in the countryside would have trouble enacting such an ambitious policy. They would need to connect with possibly reluctant local farms, convince teachers, parents, and students of the benefits, and divert funding towards a program with dubious 21st century value as society becomes increasingly urban and less agrarian.

Nonetheless, the skills learned would be transferrable and beneficial in themselves. Children learning to grow vegetables will be able to do that their entire lives and much more inclined to later tend a private garden. This can save money, encourage productivity, and improve health. Taking care of animals will also help them if they choose to keep livestock or pets. The greater benefit, however, will come from cultivation of personal qualities. Children will gain a greater sense of responsibility and internalise the real world effects of their negligence or dedication. Later in life regardless of their occupation and where they live, they will have increased self-reliance and a stronger recognition of how they can shape the world around them.

In conclusion, the personal benefits to raising animals and growing vegetables outweigh any perceived drawbacks concerning resources. Where possible, schools ought to enact these changes.