VietNamNet Bridge – The majority of Vietnamese students say they are not enthusiastic about the physical education lessons at school because of poor facilities and boring practice.
Emphasizing the importance of physical education, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has placed the subject on the official curriculums at preschool and general school.
However, students do not think this is an important subject and teachers admit that the majority of students find physical practice lessons too boring.
They just try to be present at roll call and don’t strive for high achievements in the subject. They spend most of their time on science subjects, because the scores in the subjects will determine if they can enter university.
Do Thi Dung, a chemistry teacher of the Hoai Duc Secondary School in Hanoi, said Vietnam wants to creates a comprehensive educational environment, in which physical education has the same importance as other science subjects. However, the goal is unattainable.
One of the problems, according to Dung, is that the curriculum has not changed for many years and the practice methods have not been updated.
“Thirty years ago, we practiced short-distance, long-distance run, long jump and high jump. And students now have the same exercises,” she commented.
“I know students attend the lessons to answer the roll call, to do the warm-up and… sit idle. It is really a big waste,” she said.
The teacher believes that if students can learn aerobics or lively dances, they will like physical education lessons.
Le Hoang, a physical exercise teacher at a high school in Hanoi, said students play volleyball, badminton and run. “They have to practice the sports they don’t like or don’t have abilities to practice,” she commented.
However, lack of money and poor material facilities are a problem as well. Many older teachers do not know sport dancing, while many physical education teachers must teach a variety of sports, not just one.
A report found that only 10 percent of primary schools have full-time physical fitness teachers.
Hoang said her school is located in a suburban district where there is enough land but
In Hanoi, many schools even don’t have enough classrooms, playgrounds or football grounds.
Nguyen Minh Thuyet, chief editor of the National Education Program, said the compilation committee plans to raise the number of physical practice lessons to two per week, including first graders as well.
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