The word 'education' is a tricky one anywhere. Someone mentioned 'losing the child' due to Chinese education - think I know what you mean, but I'm pretty sure that's very unlikely, and I don't know of any incidences of it. Anyway, might it not happen to one member of an international couple whose child was brought up entirely within the other parent's national education system?

@Ishmael: "'losing the child' due to Chinese education [...] might it not happen to one member of an international couple whose child was brought up entirely within the other parent's national education system?"

That depends on what is educated.

For example, between US and any western European country, differences are so small that it would never happen.

But going to China, or even some eastern European countries, different views or outright revisionism of history, as well as present events, gain momentum.

Think of anti-vaxing movement in many western countries, and extrapolate that to other aspects of society.

Well I have to wonder what, for example, English schools teach about the Irish or Bengal famines, the Amritsar massacre, the castration of Kenyan prisoners by British troops and so on. Maybe they do teach these things these days. They certainly didn't when I was a kid. But today we have Google and schoolkids can find these things out for themselves - even in China with a little bit of technical wizardry.

@cloudtrapezer: "what, for example, English schools teach about the Irish or Bengal famines [...]"

Agreed, but the issue with raising a child is not so much the absolute information that education provides to the the child, than how much it differs from information that their parents have or would provide if they had control over it.

"we have Google and schoolkids can find these things out for themselves - even in China with a little bit of technical wizardry"

That's actually not granted. Under some jurisdictions in China, people have been punished for just using such wizardry, while nationwide it is now only illegal to provide such services to general public.

And letting your children Google their information completely on their own is not what I'd call a preferred option anywhere.

Especially if the child gets their core education in Chinese system, where I believe education on critical thinking is quite limited.

To the best of my limited knowledge - most Chinese school kids absolutely NOT interested in exploring information further - that's considered extra work or study. They're more concerned with how to level themselves up in their respective video games...game strategies and tactics...which has its advantages...and drawbacks.

So true. The video addiction is big problem everywhere.

So now you're afraid of Google as well as Chinese schools. And we have someone else telling us Chinese kids don't want to explore ideas. You talk about critical thinking. Maybe you should try it sometime.

It's not so much about fear, as it is about acknowledging risks and making informed decisions. That's usually the best a parent can do.

Internet search engines, as well as schools anywhere, are platforms, vehicles if you will. You can choose to be informed about how they are programmed to behave and why, but that is beyond capabilities of most primary school children - and most parents as well.

For young kids the important matter is where those vehicles take them. Driving them is responsibility of parents and teachers.

Golly gosh. Facebook might steal your child and sell it to the Chinese Communists. Get real.

It's more about children having challenges between between Peppa and Suzy playing, and Peppa doing Suzy.