Give sports equal footing

The 1student 1sport policy is a very good move and a step in the right direction. However, I dread to think of its implementation in most schools if the gut and the willingness to move the policy is not carried out with zeal and zest by teachers. Afterall teachers are the people who either make the policy work or see its early demise. Your article, 'Declining interest a major worry', (New Sunday Times, 13 March) is not without justification as most of the national sportsmen and sportswomen have to come through the school system. The policy will just another policy if no serious effort and attention is paid at the school level.

First we have to take a relook at how Physical Education (PE) is carried out in school. To be honest it is more of an eye-wash just to hoodwink the ministry and the public. Most of the time students are on the field just because PE is in the time-table and they are there in their school uniform with their ties on! The PE teacher will be there using the remote control method or worse no teacher to supervise. If there is any monitoring by the District Education office or State Education Department it is announced before hand. Of course it is good and bravo. Just so much about PE.

When I was schooling, we have inter-house matches for most games and from those matches selection is carried out. Teachers had a good sampling of students to choose from followed by intensive training before they went for competition. Now students are selected on an ad hoc basis with one or two training or even worse no training. Schools send students for competition for competition sake just to avoid the hassle of more questions later on.

Most schools are more interested in the academic performance of the students rather than sporting excellence. When Heads of schools meet they are more interested to find out the number of As at the UPSR, PMR and SPM. Day and night tuition in some schools is the norm besides private tuition. When can students find time to indulge in sports? Parents are pushing their children for tuition for almost all subjects. Children are told that the only way to excel in this mad, mad world is through academic excellence and sports will NOT be able to feed you. Unless something is done quickly and seriously to the education system, there will be more major worries for the sporting fraternity. Unless the country starts to have professional sports for almost all discipline like in the west where players can earn a decent living, it is going to be a mammoth task to convince parents to push their children in sports.