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| April 2000 Physical education: A mixed bag By Helen Chan Article from the
same section: Cultivating all-rounded members of society has long been the goal of the education system of Hong Kong. However, physical education does not receive equal emphasis in every secondary school. Physical education lessons are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable. However, not every student finds them interesting. Mr. Bevis Suen is a Year 1 student in the Department of Social Work at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He said that physical education lessons were not taken seriously when he was a senior student at St. Benedict’s Secondary Technical School. Mr. Suen said there was nothing to learn during the lessons, as what the teacher taught had already been covered in junior forms. “During the lessons, we were allowed to do our own work such as reading. “Therefore, we treated them as free lessons,” said Mr. Suen. According to Mr. Suen, there are many ways for the students to skip physical education lessons. “Some students present parent letters and pretend to be sick”, he continued. “But the best way was to write the letters and sign them ourselves.” Said he: “We do like sports. But we would rather spend the lessons studying if we had a quiz on that day or the next day.” Mr. Lam Kwoon Sum, principal inspector of physical education and school activities for the Education Department, said that the teachers could decide what to teach in physical education lessons. Said he: “We believe physical education is to arouse students’ interest in sports,” said Mr. Lam. Some schools really put a lot of emphasis on sports, though. The Jockey Club Ti-I College is a good example. The Jockey Club Ti-I College, as a school specially for arts and sports, has done a lot in arousing students’ interest in sports. They have a special curriculum which is tailored to meet the needs of students of different levels. For example, junior form students learn basic skills in a wide range of sports while senior students specialize in sports that they are interested in. Less popular sports such as tai-chi and canoeing are also taught. The College employs staff to teach students these sports. Mr. Suen said that sports facilities are inadequate in most schools. He said, “Most of the time, the courts are occupied by the sports teams.” However, Mr. Chang Cheuk Cheung, principal of Ti-I College, disagreed with Mr. Suen that inadequate sports facilities hinder students from enjoying physical education lessons. “Many schools which offer swimming courses in the certificate level examination do not have swimming pools,” said Mr. Chang. Mr. Lam said the schools are encouraged to book public grounds for special courses such as tennis and swimming. “Space for the school is fixed,” said Mr. Lam. “However, the school should not be the only place to have physical education lessons.” Ms Frankie Leung, 18, is a Form 4 students at the Jockey Club Ti-I College. “The environment and sports facilities are better here compared to my former school,” said Ms Leung. The Jockey Club Ti-I College has a swimming pool, three basketball playgrounds and three tennis courts. She takes part in a basketball team outside the school and she wants to take part in an international contest and learn more about sports. Sports day and the swimming gala are her favourite school days as she can display her abilities. “Physical education is an integral part of education,” said Mr. Chang. He does not expect every student to pursue sports as their careers after they graduate. He just hopes that sports can become more popular in Hong Kong. Mr. Ho Hon Kin, a physical education teacher at the College, said that the Examination Authority should offer physical education in the Advanced Supplementary Level Examination because it can prompt students to try harder in this field. However, Mr. Lam of the Education Department said that they are not going to do so because the number of candidates would be too small. |
The Jockey Club Ti-I College puts much emphasis on sports. (Courtesy of Jockey Ti-I College)
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