And it doesn't help when lady teachers themselves keep harping on the girls' attire or 'beat' them down verbally for the slightest sign of body showing. Girls are often made to feel ashamed of their bodies. They too give the impression that they feel girls are the cause of evils committed by men! In the end, the girls take a beating in their confidence. So is it no wonder that women have to be caned because they indulge in illicit sex and get pregnant. I thought it takes two to make a baby.
I think it's a good move to give sports its rightful place again. Sports provide an outlet for these energetic young. They provide opportunities for synergistic interactions and kairos moments; teacher-student, student-student and even teacher-teacher, in and beyond the walls of the school. And these help to instill respect, fair-play, discipline, commitment, etc in each kid. Learning at play... most effective.
Not every student is academically inclined. Sports will provide an alternative for such students to excel. But the overemphasis on academic achievements brought a death knell to sports. It became the sacrificial subject in the early years of such emphasis. In the last decade, it has deteriorated to its present stage.
The MOE is in the right direction in making sports compulsory. But it is also not consistent in sending out signals. This year alone, funding for MSSM has been cut from RM6 million to a mere RM1.5 million. In the process, many games and athletic events have been axed. I shall not speculate on the whys except, it seems to indicate that the plundering of our nation has finally affected the basic essential needed to build a dynamic and competitive society.
And the selection of teachers. Used to be one of the criteria they would look for in a teacher-to-be would be their sports abilities. These days, most of them don't play any games. Many even look unhealthy. So, how do we move when the 'movers and shakers' don't even play a game well? Are we going to start importing sports teachers from other countries as well?
2 comments:
Problem with sports in Msia are sponsorship. Over here, you can have a local store could sponsor a sports team and if they win all the time, bigger stores will sponsor them. Thats one way sports are encouraged here.
Sponsorship is one problem.. but over here, they don't think sports is important. My American friend used to tell me that Americans are sports crazy. It's easy when everyone has the same fever. Here, there is no sports fever. There is frenzy but they never last long. Sports is still for the non-academically inclined ones over here. There are very few exceptions, Nicol David being one.
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