Sports missing from Education Blueprint?

“Education in Malaysia is an on going effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, in order to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically, balanced and harmoniously, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well being to contribute to the betterment of the nation, family and society."

That is the National Philosophy of Education.

Note that physical activity plays an important role in the development of a child in Malaysia.

Is this translated in the recently announced Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025

A quick read of the preliminary blueprint executive summary sees;
  
Page 8 - speaks about every student picking up 1sport, 1club and 1uniformed body

Page 13 - lists down the achievement of Malaysia students abroad which includes coming in third in the 4th ASEAN School Games in Indonesia and the 5th Asian Schools Badminton Champiosnhip in Hong Kong where our young shuttlers won 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Page 20 - Six key attributes; Leadership skills, Bilingual proficiency, Ethics and Spirituality, Thinking skills, Knowledge and National Identity. No specific mention of sports or physical well-being.

Page 22 - 11 shifts; 

1 Provide equal access to quality education of an international standard
2 Ensure every child is proficient in BM and English language
3 Develop values-driven Malaysians (reinforcing requirement to participate in 1Sport, 1Club and 1Uniformed Body)
4 Transform teaching into the profession of choice
5 Ensure high-performing school leaders in every school (...greater operational flexibility for school, improvement, curriculum and co-curricular planning...)
6 Empower JPNs, PPDs, and schools to customise solutions based on need
7 Leverage ICT to scale up quality learning across Malaysia
8 Transform ministry delivery capabilities and capacity
9 Partnet with parents, community and private sector at scale
10 Maximise student outcomes for every Ringgit
11 Increase transparency for direct public accountability

Therefore, has the national education blueprint really addressed the promotion of sports / physical activity among the younger generation of Malaysia? Read the full report here.


Let's leave aside the monitoring and implementation of matters raised in the blueprint for another day - as I've said many times in the past (including on Sukan Awani Ekstra and Kafe Sukan) that when I was growing up it was a 'requirement' to commit to at least one sport, one club and one uniformed body. Yet, I do know many students who didn't adhere to such a requirement and got away with it.

While there is the 1Student 1Sport policy and bits and pieces of physical activity mentioned in the Blueprint, certain parties - especially those in the fraternity - agreed more can be done to promote physical activities in schools.

In fact, some have claimed that sports have been totally overlooked despite the current Education Minister (and Deputy Prime Minister) Muyhiddin Yassin having once served as Sports Minister (1995-1999).

Physical Education is often sidelined in schools. Not many refer to the textbooks that promote basic motoring enhancement skills. Also, PE periods are sacrificed when nearing a major examination.

It remains to be seen if the younger generation will be educated in PE or continue playing football in an open field under the supervision of a school teacher under a tree.

Apparently there are efforts to rectify the situation to ensure the younger generation embrace physical activity as not just a past time but a lifestyle. It remains to be seen how far and to what level will such efforts create an impact.

As National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Ahmad Shapawi Ismail uttered on this week's Kafe Sukan; "Hitting the gym is not about building muscles and to be a body builder. There's more to it. 

And it is important that our children learn basic motoring skills...like learning how to run and even how to fall without seriously injuring themselves."

HD says: Note to the powers-that-be; no point dreaming big if you can't get the basics right.

Comments

  1. Dengan dua pemain yang baru dipanggil, maknanya perlawanan menentang HongKong nanti akan sekadar jadi satu lagi eksperimen Rajagopal.

    Sesiapa yang rasa berbaloi habiskan masa selain duit minyak dan RM20 untuk tiket, sila lah ke stadium.

    Jika tidak, kita tengok kat Astro pun dah cukup.

    Kamarul

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear HD,
    Can you comment regarding stupid statement by FAM secretary in defending Tengku Abdullah advised Rajagopal to stop experiment on national team in comparison to TS Annuar Musa comment on the same matter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Enough whining about football la...we are talking about lack of physical education in school.
    The current Edu minister is useless...unless we rectify this matter fast, we won't have anymore world class athletes to compete in multi sports in the future.
    Lack of physical activities is one of the main reason for obesity!

    E

    ReplyDelete

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