There is a body of scholarship showing that the collapse of the fertility rate to dangerously low levels across east Asia is the direct consequence of school cramming and “education fever”.

Education fever causes Korean parents to scrape and save to send their children to private Hagwon schools to push up their grades and give them a chance of a good university. (Sound familiar?) These are notoriously expensive. Social pressure to conform is strong. Parents simply cannot afford large families.

This has been a factor in the collapse of fertility rates to: Hong Kong (1.04), Singapore (1.10), Taiwan (1.15), Japan (1.20), Korea (1.22).

Variants of education fever are visible across East Asia. Some 97pc of children in Singapore receive extra private tutorials. Very young children are sent to “cram schools” in Taiwan after normal school is finished. It is no surprise that one of the consequences observed by psychologists is delayed or incomplete emotional development.

Over-schooling is not the only reason why East Asian fertility has collapsed, but it is a big reason. There clearly comes a point when it is unhealthy. So as in all things in life, moderation and common sense are advised. And plenty of play. ” (Part of a report by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Daily Telegraph).

A very Epicurean conclusion. Human beings have distressing tendencies to overdo things. Epicurus would say that the child should be educated, not crammed. That means he or she should be encouraged to think critically and not absorb information by rote. It also implies a good general knowlege and an ability to interpret what is going on in a knowlegeable way, not simply (lazily) adopt the views of parents and teachers.

At my school I can’t recall many tests, but we did have current affairs classes once a week, where issues were discussed, moral and ethical matters aired, and the boys debated social, civic (yes!)and political issues, sometimes very noisily (the debate about the Suez crisis in 1956 almost descended into a brawl). It used to be the highlight of the week, and I would argue that it produced informed citizens with good general knowledge about the world, and empathy for the poor and dispossessed, among other things. In other words, we were given the tools for a good life, not just the ability to get a job and make money. Depends on the teacher, of course.