More physical education classes please

Sport as a means of shaping the body and soul can never be overemphasized. After all, those who get proper physical education and play sports are more energetic than those who sit idle all day long.

Former NBA star and Chinese Basketball Association Chairperson Yao Ming, who is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, stressed at the annual session that education is incomplete without sport.

However, when will schools wake up to this realization?

The reason schools tend to ignore sport is because it is not one of the subjects for which students are tested during the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, which decides the career ahead of the student. Policies vary across cities but, generally, physical education accounts for very few marks in exams from primary to middle school and then high school.

Many a time, local education bureaus have sent advisories asking schools to ensure enough time is allocated to physical education classes, but it is often the case that physical education classes are sacrificed before exams, with someone teaching a more "important" subject taking the class instead.

The solution lies in making physical education courses an important part of exams. If it is too early to reform the gaokao, we could begin by reforming other exams.

Sports should hold a larger share of points a student needs to reach a higher level. That will make schools ensure physical education classes get the importance they deserve.