Children should be offered the chance to enjoy exercise
Last July, the US government launched a programme to get America's children moving. The key to it was that it worked for all kids regardless of their skill level and encouraged them to do outdoor activities or sport for fun.
I am in favour of such a programme in Hong Kong. Here, primary school children usually have less than two hours of PE lessons a week. That may be the only workout the 'busiest' children in the world get. Every day their schedules are filled according to their parents' arrangements; drawing lessons, piano, English, Mandarin and maths, as well as finishing homework and preparing for tests and exams. Often, sport and exercise are something for PE lessons alone.
Under this highly stressful and exam-oriented education system, PE lessons should be imperative and play a key role in helping them relax and stay active for the rest of their lives. However, traditional PE lessons here tend to focus instead on competitive team sports and appeal mainly to the strongest athletes in class. Some students may not enjoy these lessons because they don't think they are good enough, others may be interested in activities their school never touch.
The new PE movement in US schools involves activities like yoga, cycling, martial arts, climbing, dance, in-line skating and even sailing and kayaking. The goal is to teach children sports they can enjoy outside of school. Why don't Hong Kong's education authorities try to find a way of developing children's enthusiasm for sport and outdoor activities along the lines of the US programme?
DONNA WONG,
