European compulsory education risks high pressure due to dense curricula and long hours, impacting student well-being.
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Mandatory schooling across various European countries is increasingly becoming a high-pressure system due to densely packed curricula and extended school hours. Schools are tasked with achieving numerous objectives, including teaching basic knowledge, digital skills, foreign languages, citizenship, sustainability, health, and entrepreneurship, leading to an increase in subjects and lesson times even at younger ages. Comparisons show a common trend of dense programs and rising weekly workloads; for instance, Greek primary education includes up to 13-14 mandatory subjects with increasing weekly hours. Spain features decentralized organization with moderate subject loads (8-10 in primary) and weekly commitments between 25 and 30 hours. Italy occupies an intermediate position, featuring ten subjects in primary school with English as the required foreign language. The core issue is not just the quantity of hours or subjects, but the resulting educational model where new social priorities are added without comprehensive program revision, risking fragmented learning with little room for depth, play, or consolidating basic skills.
