Huang Hongzhang, Yibo's father, says, "We don't expect that our son will become a politician when he grows up. He will be left to make his own career choices in the future. We taught him to read books and newspapers at a young age to broaden his horizons."

"I don't think my son is a prodigy. He is just an ordinary kid who is determined, independent and kind-hearted," Huang Hongzhang adds.

Family education in question

Zhang Ming, a professor of political science at the Renmin University of China, wrote in an online article that Huang Yibo is an example of Chinese education being negatively influenced by traditional Chinese culture, which attaches great importance to official positions and ranks.

Watching the news and reading newspapers at such a young age can cause imbalances in a child's knowledge and personality, Zhang says, adding that the awareness of the importance of official rankings can distort children's value systems.

Parents and educators should protect the innocence of children and let them grow up naturally, says headmaster Huang Hengzhong. Huang believes that the development of a child's personality can be harmed if his or her parents instill a strong sense of self-importance from an early age.

Parents should provide their children with enough space for them to discover and develop their own interests and personalities, Huang says.

Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Center, said in an article published by the China Daily newspaper that it is unfair to judge a child according to information reported by the media.

Some of Huang's teachers worry that the negative comments will hurt the child, and they hope that people can be more tolerant about the way in which Huang is being raised.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2011)

艺博的父亲黄宏章说：“我们并不期待儿子长大了当官，将来他会有自己的职业选择。我们在他这么小的年纪教他读书看报，目的是想拓宽他的视野。”

“我不认为儿子是天才。他只是一个普通的孩子，他理想坚定，十分独立，心地善良。”黄宏章补充说。

家庭教育遭质疑

中国人民大学政治系教授张鸣在网上撰文称，中国传统文化中的“官本位”思想对中国的教育产生了负面影响，黄艺博就是这样一个例证。

这么小的年纪就看新闻读报纸，会让孩子的知识结构和性格塑造失衡。张鸣还补充说，对官位重要性的认识还会扭曲孩子的价值观。

黄恒忠校长表示，家长和教育工作者应当保护孩子的童真，让他们正常成长。黄恒忠认为，家长在孩子很小的时候就灌输很强的自我重要感，这对孩子的性格发展十分不利。

他说，父母应该留给孩子们足够的空间，让他们自己去发现并培养兴趣、塑造性格。

在《中国日报》发表的一篇文章里，中国青少年研究中心副主任孙云晓表示，根据媒体报道的信息就对一个孩子做出评判是不公平的。

几位教过黄艺博的老师也表达了他们的担忧，这些非议会对孩子造成伤害，他们希望大家对他父母的教育方式多些包容。

（China.org.cn Wendy 译）