Sports neglected in schools

Bring back the glory of sports 

Some years ago the government changed the name of the education ministry from Kementerian Pelajaran to Kementerian Pendidikan .The reason we were told was  to change the image of the ministry from that of a purely academic institution to that of a wholesome education of an individual.

Sad to say what has happened since then is just the opposite to the ideals of that switch. Today our schools have become places just to collect A’s. All activities are tailored towards that aim. So much time is dedicated to examination oriented teaching. Many hours of extra classes are arranged and even physical education and art classes are taken over for academic subjects.

Extracurricular and sports activities are neglected and hardly any importance given to them. They are forced to stay back for these extra curricular activities but very frequently they are postponed at the last minute.

Most of the students join these societies not out of passion or love but to collect the valuable points that would contribute to A’s in their final exams.

Sports is even more neglected. Some schools do not even have a proper playing field let alone proper training. The annual sports meet which used to be such an important and glamorous occasion passes by quietly without much publicity or enthusiasm. A vast majority of students do not even bother to attend the sports day. They take it as a holiday to stay home and study or go for extra tuition classes.

Those excelling in sports are not given due recognition in schools and in society. On the contrary excellent exam scorers are so over glorified by teachers, parents and even the media. In the sixties and seventies, bookworm students are frowned upon and even ridiculed, but today situation has reversed, in fact for the worse.

We, parents, teachers and all members of society, must convince ourselves that schools are for the wholesome education of our young men and women and not a place just to collect A’s, as it appears to be at present. If we continue with this misguided system which emphasizes just on academic excellence, I’m afraid our future in the globalize world would be bleak.

Sports must be re-emphasised in our school curriculum.We must bring back the glory and glamour that used to be attached to this important aspect in the wholesome education of a child.

The government now has promised to rectify the problem by revamping the education system and we must give our full support and cooperation.

Dr.Chris Anthony                

9MP

Feedback important in implementing 9MP The Ninth Malaysia Plan(9MP) has been unveiled in parliament by  Prime Minister,Datul Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.There has been an overwhelming support for him from citizens of all walks of life.One encouraging factor is the sincere pledge by the prime minister that the 9MP will benefit every citizen, regardless of their origin and political alignment. It is also heartening to note that the Prime Minister himself has taken a deep personal interest in this plan and that he would go to the ground to monitor its implementation.As citizens we must give whole hearted support to the prime minister and his team in ensuring the proper implementation of the 9MP. Public participation is of utmost importance in its delivery and  in ensuring  its success. All departments involved in the 9MP should be open to public feedback.There should be no doubts in the minds of the those involved in the delivery system as to who should benefit from the 9MP.The rakyat should be the ultimate benefactor of all the projects of the 9MP. If not monitored well there could be serious leakages, resulting in the funds not reaching the intended target groups namely the poor both urban and rural.The rakyat themselves will be the best people to check this leakage but the government must provide proper channels for their feedback. It should genuinely encourage the people to give feedback and take these seriously in implementing their strategies. Nowadays it appears that peoples’ complaints are not given serious attention by the authorities and these results in a sense of frustration on the part of the citizens who are genuinely striving for the betterment of the community.Newspapers, both print and online, carry numerous constructive criticisms, suggestions and opinions to improve productivity and standard of servive, but these are not taken seriously by the authorities. On the contrary, statements and messages that compliment the authorities are readily highlighted. Suggestion boxes in various departments have become mere show pieces. They should be given due importance and the people encouraged to use them to provide useful feedback that is badly needed. Head of departments should study these comments with an open mind and not go no a witch-hunt to trace and reprimand those who gave the feedback.Similarly complaints to head of departments should investigated and prompt action if found true. There is an unhealthy trend among the authorities that considers the complainants as being anti-establishment and this must not be allowed to continue if we want to progress.We fail to realize that complainants are also rightful citizens and tax payers and as such have the rights to participate in the proper running of the nation and that is democracy is all about.Dr.Chris Anthony                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Instill healthy lifetyle early

I refer to your front page report “Soi Lek on a mission to check lifestyle disease” (Sunday Star,March.26).

Indeed it was really encouraging to see our Health Minister leading the nation towards a healthy lifestyle.

Proper nutrition and exercise are the two most important contributing factors towards a healthy life.

It is however hardly surprising that only 80% of Malaysians exercise as situation in the urban settings is anything but conducive to exercise.

Importance of a healthy lifestyle must be instilled at a very young age. Our education system from the very beginning is all geared towards examination. Sport is hardly given prominence in schools. Physical exercise classes are taken over for extra coaching in examination subjects even in Standard 6 (UPSR) at the tender age of 12. This unhealthy trend continues well into secondary schools and subsequently into working life.

Furthermore the children do not get a nutritionally balanced diet as the school hours are long with no adequate breaks for proper dining. Therefore they settle for junk food.

Young adults especially in urban areas have hardly any time or venues for exercise. Traffic jams take a great toll on them as many of them travel miles to and from the place of study or work. They leave home very early in the morning and reach home late in the evening or even night.

Recreational venues are also badly lacking in the major towns and cities.Fields, parks, hills and beaches are depleted by the so-called development projects. Today we have to drive many miles to the nearest recreational facility.

In fact the risk of dying from road accidents while jogging, walking or trying to reach the recreational centers is very much higher than death from diseases due to lack of exercise itself.

According to the health minister, Government has agreed to allocate RM50mil for the Health Promotion Board, which will be set up under his ministry to carry out activities to promote a fitter Malaysia.

This money should be utilized to set up more recreational centers and gymnasiums in all cities at affordable cost for all.

All government and private offices should also be encouraged to set up their own in-house gymnasiums.

Our schools must re-emphasis the importance of sports, so that the children are instilled the culture of exercise from a very early age.

The government should be serious in promoting a healthy lifestyle by providing more and easily accessible recreational places.

It is useless to keep harping on healthy lifestyle when the basic facilities for that are hardly available to the ordinary man on the street.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Wholesome education essential

Schools must provide wholesome education

Some years ago the government changed the name of the education ministry from Kementerian Pelajaran to Kementerian Pendidikan .The reason we were told was  to change the image of the ministry from that of a purely academic institution to that of a wholesome education of an individual.

Sad to say what has happened since then is just the opposite to the ideals of that switch. Today our schools have become places just to collect A’s. All activities are tailored towards that aim. So much time is dedicated to examination oriented teaching. Many hours of extra classes are arranged and even physical education and art classes are taken over for academic subjects.

Extracurricular and sports activities are neglected and hardly any importance given to them. Pupils are made to adorn uniforms of boy scouts, girl guides, Red Crescent Society, St.John’s Ambulance, cadet and so on but no proper training and activities are organized for them. They are forced to stay back for these extra curricular activities but very frequently they are postponed at the last minute.

 Most of the students join these societies not out of passion or love but to collect the valuable points that would contribute to A’s in their final exams.

Sports are even more neglected. Some schools,do not even have a proper playing field let alone proper training. School teams for the various sports are selected in a mysterious manner. The annual sports meet which used to be such an important and glamorous occasion passes by quietly without much publicity or enthusiasm. A vast majority of students do not even bother to attend the sports day. They take it as a holiday to stay home and study or go for extra tuition classes.

Those excelling in sports are not given due recognition in schools and in society. On the contrary excellent exam scorers are so over glorified by teachers, parents and even the media. In the sixties and seventies, bookworm students are frowned upon and even ridiculed, but today situation has reversed, in fact for the worse.

We, parents, teachers and all members of society, must convince ourselves that schools are for the wholesome education of our young men and women and not a place just to collect A’s, as it appears to be at present. If we continue with this misguided system which emphasizes just on academic excellence, I’m afraid our future in the globalize world would be bleak.

The government now has promised to rectify the problem by revamping the education system and we must give our full support and cooperation.

Dr.Chris Anthony                                                                      

Exam oriented education system

Don’t over glorify a few,encourage the majority

It was indeed sad to read your report “Girl jumps from third floor over SPM results” (NST,March 14).

Every year we witness a number of such untoward incidents as a result of examination failure, which simply implies a failure of our education system, which puts so much emphasis on academic excellence alone. The teachers are not alone to be blamed. We too, as parents and society as a whole, share the blame for the obsession with As.

Today school examinations have become like a race where we place our bet on the horses,our children.We go all out spending invaluable time,money and energy to ensure they win the race with flying colours.

It has become a practice of our media to over glorify those who score maximum A’s in their examination. They encourage the notion that collecting maximum A’s,is life all  is about. This practice of the media aggravates the ill effects of the already examination orientated education system of ours.

We must realize that these top scorers are just a small percentage of the total student population. The majority are the average scorers with 4-6A’s.However much we encourage and coax our students, only a few will  become maximum scorers and this is a fact of life we all have to accept.

These high achievers must be rewarded accordingly, but it is equally important to ensure the others are also taken care. It is more important to encourage the majority to excel in things for which they have a liking and aptitude. Opportunities must made available to these students as well.

By over glorifying these top scorers, tremendous psychological pressure is placed on the majority to ape them. This causes a great amount of stress on students in school these days. Those with average or even above average result are made to feel useless and a failure in school. 

Every school should have qualified counselors to educate and help students overcome the trauma of examinations. Even those who fail miserably should not be discouraged. They should be shown other opportunities available to them, in which they can excel. After all, experience has shown us that, there is more to life than passing exams with flying colours. 

Let us, parents, teachers and all members of society, reinforce ourselves that schools are for educating the minds of our young men and women and not a place to collect As it appears to be at present. This was exactly the reason for changing the name of the education ministry from Kementerian Pelajaran to Kementerian Pendidikan some time ago. The government now has promised to rectify the problem and we hope it would do so fast.

Dr.Chris Anthony