old news still news
Found this old article and wondered how issues of the yester-years are still relevant even till today. Sigh!
MUCH was discussed during the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development meeting last Monday, but yet the fundamental issue of sports was not spoken- the standard of sports at the grassroots.
While Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said lauded the proposal by the Education Ministry in organising a Malaysian Educational Institutions Sports Meet (Sipma), the minister ought not to be contended with such a proposal.
In fact the rot of sports in the country lies within the ‘confusing’ education system in which the Education Ministry together with the Sports Ministry ought to revamp in order to identify and mould future talents.
Tuition seems to be the numero uno killer in schools sports, where students forgo every school activity for the sake of ‘adding knowledge’. Such an act certainly ridicules the roles played by teachers in schools, giving an impression teachers are not doing their jobs at all.
Arsenal’s assistant community coach coordinator Craig Noble, who was in the country last December as part of the English Premier League outfit community tour, was quoted saying “only kids struggling in subjects have tutors guiding them”, clearly shows students in the nation (UK) who produces world class athletes do not depend on such extra classes.
And the Education Ministry has to look into the scenario of school teachers offering extra classes for a certain fee. Many students agree there are differentiating standards in teaching by the said teachers thus depriving those without enough money for better education.
Thus this leads to weak students focusing their attention towards sports, creating a stigma that sports are only for weak kids.
Maybe it is high time for both ministries to start thinking about the role of teachers in the development of sportsmen. And this must be done without sacrificing the child’s education. The one-session system in schools is good, but what use will it be if students are bogged down with books from the start till the final bell rings.
The Education Ministry ought to make changes by firstly revamping the text books, followed by changing the attitude of teachers in schools. The teaching profession is among the noblest, but it is certainly tarnished by individuals who forgo their obligation to teach and mould talents by selling direct-selling products (Avon, Amway) and ‘kain batik’s’ in the staff rooms.
And maybe the Education Ministry could work hand in hand with the Sports Ministry by encouraging the state education departments to work closely with state sports associations.
The KL Kayaking Association, for one, could adopt schools around the Titiwangsa Lake vicinity for development programmes, which also see teachers learning a thing or two from the professionals.
Even the education department together with sports associations in the sleepy town of Taiping could start making changes by utilising the huge esplanade located beside the Taiping City Council Hall by conducting sporting activities.
And as for Sipma, it will not reap much benefit if the sporting culture is diminished at the schools level itself. Young girls shy away from sports in secondary schools and their sporting habits are hardly seen when they mature to universities and colleges.
Even the current Inter University Games and Inter Colleges Games do not see the full participation of the targeted group, no thanks to their lack of interest which was lost during their schooling days.
There is no point to start constructing walls and a roof if a house has no base below. The Sports Ministry will only get the results they want by starting at the grassroots. And after her trip to Cuba, Azalina ought to know better- sports starts at the schools.
-The Man Who Sold The World-
MUCH was discussed during the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development meeting last Monday, but yet the fundamental issue of sports was not spoken- the standard of sports at the grassroots.
While Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said lauded the proposal by the Education Ministry in organising a Malaysian Educational Institutions Sports Meet (Sipma), the minister ought not to be contended with such a proposal.
In fact the rot of sports in the country lies within the ‘confusing’ education system in which the Education Ministry together with the Sports Ministry ought to revamp in order to identify and mould future talents.
Tuition seems to be the numero uno killer in schools sports, where students forgo every school activity for the sake of ‘adding knowledge’. Such an act certainly ridicules the roles played by teachers in schools, giving an impression teachers are not doing their jobs at all.
Arsenal’s assistant community coach coordinator Craig Noble, who was in the country last December as part of the English Premier League outfit community tour, was quoted saying “only kids struggling in subjects have tutors guiding them”, clearly shows students in the nation (UK) who produces world class athletes do not depend on such extra classes.
And the Education Ministry has to look into the scenario of school teachers offering extra classes for a certain fee. Many students agree there are differentiating standards in teaching by the said teachers thus depriving those without enough money for better education.
Thus this leads to weak students focusing their attention towards sports, creating a stigma that sports are only for weak kids.
Maybe it is high time for both ministries to start thinking about the role of teachers in the development of sportsmen. And this must be done without sacrificing the child’s education. The one-session system in schools is good, but what use will it be if students are bogged down with books from the start till the final bell rings.
The Education Ministry ought to make changes by firstly revamping the text books, followed by changing the attitude of teachers in schools. The teaching profession is among the noblest, but it is certainly tarnished by individuals who forgo their obligation to teach and mould talents by selling direct-selling products (Avon, Amway) and ‘kain batik’s’ in the staff rooms.
And maybe the Education Ministry could work hand in hand with the Sports Ministry by encouraging the state education departments to work closely with state sports associations.
The KL Kayaking Association, for one, could adopt schools around the Titiwangsa Lake vicinity for development programmes, which also see teachers learning a thing or two from the professionals.
Even the education department together with sports associations in the sleepy town of Taiping could start making changes by utilising the huge esplanade located beside the Taiping City Council Hall by conducting sporting activities.
And as for Sipma, it will not reap much benefit if the sporting culture is diminished at the schools level itself. Young girls shy away from sports in secondary schools and their sporting habits are hardly seen when they mature to universities and colleges.
Even the current Inter University Games and Inter Colleges Games do not see the full participation of the targeted group, no thanks to their lack of interest which was lost during their schooling days.
There is no point to start constructing walls and a roof if a house has no base below. The Sports Ministry will only get the results they want by starting at the grassroots. And after her trip to Cuba, Azalina ought to know better- sports starts at the schools.
-The Man Who Sold The World-
posted by pollyneedsacracker at 9:06 pm
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