Regarding the Jan. 26 editorial, "Six days of school not the answer": I also would oppose a six-day school week. As a student who has experienced both the five-day and the six-day school system, I can say it is a waste of time and money for students and the schools to open schools on Saturdays.

It will make no difference whether students take an extra five hours of class or not. Students, however, would benefit from staying at home with their families on Saturdays.

Nowadays, Japanese students are becoming very competitive and busy, so much so that they lack interaction with their own families. Rather than going to school on Saturdays to do unnecessary activities or to prepare for exams, they will enhance their relationship with their family members by staying home.

Furthermore, students need their own time to develop themselves. Apart from doing homework for the school, they need time to read books or rest while enjoying their hobbies. This will help them relieve stresses from everyday Japanese school life.

Stress on students comes mostly from a lot of homework and pressure from competitions. These stresses can lead to problems of bullying or depression. So, the best thing for students is not an extra day of school, but a day of rest.

hyunseo cha
tokyo

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.