補習-Jump to it! Schools told get fit fun way

A fall in physical exercise of more than 30percent takes place when students move from primary to secondary school, a university study has found.

A total of 1,200 students, aged nine to 16 and from 20 primary and secondary schools, were covered in the study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

While boys in primary school spend 39.9 minutes on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day, the average time of those in secondary schools falls by 34percent to only 26.2 minutes.

Similarly, while girls in primary school spend 29.5 minutes on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day, the time in secondary schools drops by 43percent to only 16.8 minutes.

Professor Amy Ha Sau-ching, chairwoman of the department of sports science and physical education at CUHK, said physical activity levels in Hong Kong are low compared with elsewhere in the region. Students in Australia exercise for about an hour each day.

Ha said parents are more concerned about their children’s academic performance, and physical education and activities take a backseat. Schools should make sports more interesting and entertaining and not allow physical education programs to be boring and routine. “For example, they can play music or make students jump over obstacles,” she said.

Teachers should think from the students’ point of view and review physical education classes.

Ha suggested schools allow students to borrow sports equipment and be able to use facilities to exercise during their free time.

Ha, who is also the founding president of Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, China, said instead of sports such as basketball and volleyball, which require teams, schools should introduce rope-skipping and shuttlecock kicking as they are simple exercises and students may have fun with others when they play.

Sports activities should be entertaining and popular and the emphasis should not be on creating sporting superstars.

“Regular exercise is more important than winning medals,” she said.

Lai Chi-ching, 13, a student of CCC Mong Man Wai College, said she is happy that her school allows her to skip in the basketball court, where there is music.

Chi-ching said rope-skipping increased her interest in doing exercise.