TASK 2 (Discuss both views): CHILDREN GOING TO SCHOOL
Some people say it is government’s responsibility to transport children to school, while others believe parents should transport their children to school. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Answer
There are those who believe that governments should be responsible for children’s school commute, while opponents of this view hold parents accountable for this endeavour. This essay will discuss both perspectives before presenting my final stance.
Advocates of the state being tasked with schoolchildren’s daily commute point to remote regions with extreme territorial conditions. These far-off places are often characterised by unfavourable climates, substandard infrastructural development, and imminent threats from wildlife, thereby rendering daily logistical efforts challenging and even risky. These proponents argue that in such extreme regions, letting parents transport their children to school can amount to irreversible losses, and that the government should instead assume the responsibility, given their vast resources, oversight authority, and a structured logistical framework. In tandem with this, governments are often tasked with safeguarding the safety of their residents. Schoolchildren transportation, therefore, falls right within this principal tenet of state responsibility.
On the other end of the spectrum, those supporting parents taking the initiative in terms of children’s commute highlight practical constraints. It is obvious that familial scheduling is not uniform across the board, and by this logic, one household may drastically differ from another in terms of breakfast hours, parents’ work schedule, and mode of transport to school. A state oversight and intervention on school transport would require a fixed pick-up time, designated assembly point, and a uniform mode of transit, making it practically challenging to implement such a proposal. Furthermore, school commute is not just about transportation but also rooted in parent-children intimacy. Interestingly, by delivering children to and from school, parents can foster stronger ties with their children through communication and parental closeness.
Upon examining both viewpoints, while the government transporting children to school can enhance safety and fulfil their enshrined duty, parents shouldering this responsibility may foster closeness and intimacy. In my view, the key lies in flexible implementation not rigid enforcement. While remote places with unfavourable territories and weather conditions may lean on governments for schoolchildren transportation, other locations should see parents bringing their children to school to foster parent-children bonding.
Vocabulary
| school commute | việc đi học |
| endeavour | nỗ lực |
| remote regions with extreme territorial conditions | vùng xa xôi với điều kiện khắc nghiệt |
| characterised by unfavourable climates | đặc trưng bởi khí hậu bất lợi |
| substandard infrastructural development | phát triển hạ tầng kém |
| imminent threats from wildlife | mối đe dọa cận kề từ động vật hoang dã |
| logistical efforts challenging and even risky | nỗ lực hậu cần đầy thách thức và rủi ro |
| irreversible losses | tổn thất không thể đảo ngược |
| assume the responsibility | đảm nhận trách nhiệm |
| vast resources | nguồn lực lớn |
| oversight authority | quyền giám sát |
| structured logistical framework | khung hậu cần có tổ chức |
| safeguarding the safety of their residents | bảo vệ sự an toàn của người dân |
| principal tenet of state responsibility | nguyên tắc chính của trách nhiệm nhà nước |
| practical constraints | hạn chế thực tế |
| familial scheduling is not uniform across the board | lịch sinh hoạt gia đình không đồng nhất |
| fixed pick-up time | thời gian đón cố định |
| designated assembly point | điểm tập trung được chỉ định |
| uniform mode of transit | phương thức vận chuyển đồng nhất |
| parent-children intimacy | sự gắn bó cha mẹ – con cái |
| foster stronger ties | thúc đẩy mối quan hệ bền chặt hơn |
| communication and parental closeness | giao tiếp và sự gần gũi của cha mẹ |
| enhance safety | tăng cường an toàn |
| enshrined duty | nghĩa vụ được ghi nhận |
| flexible implementation not rigid enforcement | thực hiện linh hoạt chứ không áp đặt cứng nhắc |
| foster parent-children bonding | thúc đẩy sự gắn kết cha mẹ – con cái |
