Find time for sports

The top performers in Chinese classrooms may not be as fit or as healthy as their predecessors.

Tsinghua University reported that 49.2 percent of the students it enrolled this year were found to be in an undesirable physical condition. In Peking University, 3,500 sophomores made 5,600 trips to the doctor during a two-week physical training program.

The poor physical prowess of Chinese students has always been attributed to the examination-oriented lessons in middle schools, yet the situation is hardly any better on college campuses.

The six nationwide surveys of the physical condition of Chinese students that have been conducted since 1985 suggest the physical condition of primary and middle school students has remained the same since 2010, while college students' physical condition has continued to decline.

Leaving high school does not guarantee a student more time for physical exercise. Although students should have more spare time in college to explore their interests and a flexible schedule, little of that time is spent in gyms or on running tracks, most of it is spent in libraries, laboratories or in front of computers.

Everybody knows good health is the most valuable lifelong asset. But students seem justified in overdrawing their most valuable asset for the time being. Peking University and Tsinghua University are well known for their emphasis on developing students in an all-round way. Blaming China's education system for their lack of exercise simply blinds us to the pressures facing college students.

Few students are willing to sacrifice their health in pursuit of a better score. But when they are competing to find a job or secure a seat in graduate schools, studying takes precedence over physical exercise.

In fact, physical exercise should not conflict with studies or work. Instead of pointing the finger of blame at China's education system, which has supported China's development for more than 30 years, we should encourage teachers and parents to instill the importance of a healthy body in any competition and that better time management and living habits will be an advantage in later life.

Sports and exercise can discipline the mind, improve fitness and help develop a team spirit, all of which are essential to success in life.

(China Daily 09/20/2012 page8)