Sports in schools

Apr 19, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
One of the factors contributing to indiscipline in schools among the children is the absence of organised sports and games.
If you visit the average school and inquire about that aspect of the school curriculum, you would be surprised to know that there are not planned and organised sports activities in the school.
What can be gleamed, however, is that children have no lunch-time activities apart from eating that are so planned by the teachers. Children/pupils/students could be seen engaged in aimless and noisy activities.

It must be noted that there are many schools with large compounds that are infested by weeds. Some that have compounds suitable for outdoor games do not have the organised clubs to engage the pupils thus.
Then another category is where the school building leaves no space for any game activity but only enough for walking.

It is a known fact that children are bubbling with energy and unless this energy is properly channeled then the children would be restless and disruptive.
It is disturbing to see a class of adolescents being asked to sit quietly in class and do nothing. They would erupt afterwards in some form.

In many schools there are sporting equipment which are not being properly utilised because the teacher has to complete the academic syllabus, hence, no time for games.
Little do they realise that sports and games play a dominant role in learning.
The emphasis in education is Literacy and Numeracy especially at the primary level. The curriculum is cultured and tailored for academic achievement. Erroneously, being educated and bright are measured only in academic terms.
I am not sure that more than one hour is planned for organised games on the time-table, and that is the last session on Fridays.

During this time the teacher would be compiling her Record of Work and balancing of registers for the week.
This alone tells of the level of emphasis being placed on physical games. This is reflected in the state of the outdoor facilities on the schools that are lucky to have them.
I believe that schools are not assisted enough by the Ministry of Education in the respective regions. All the talk is about the school buildings and not the schools’ playing facilities. I am sure that when we use the words play at school, a lot of negative perceptions are created.

It would be a good thing for donor agents to fund the creation/upgrading of outdoor playing facilities and also see the wisdom of engaging in planning a sports and games module for schools.
The benefits of having schools fully engaging students/pupils, in outdoor sports and games far outweighs costs.

Hence, the benefits would not be measured in financial terms, but the students/pupils will have less time to think about drugs and sexual promiscuity, and other negative behaviours.
I would strongly recommend that more time be allocated to games on the timetable; that teachers must not treat games as an option, but as a curriculum activity that must be planned for and executed.
Name and Address Withheld

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Sports in schools

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