Education, culture-sport sector join hands in developing school sports

Within the five recent years, school sports have developed steadily as the education sector and the culture-sport sector have worked together to develop school sports; however, existing school sports facilities fail to meet students’ need.
 The rate of children who can perform all five basic swimming skills in the academic year 2019-2020 was over 80 percent (Photo: SGGP)
The rate of children who can perform all five basic swimming skills in the academic year 2019-2020 was over 80 percent (Photo: SGGP)
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training’s statistics has shown that, 77 percent of preschools and all primary, junior and senior high schools in the academic year 2019-2020 had pitch - an outdoor playing area for various sports.
Nevertheless, around 29.6 percent of primary schools and over 45 percent of standard multi-sport grounds. Plus, 93 schools have swimming pools including 74 gunite swimming pools and 19 mobile ones for compulsory education of swimming for children.
Following the Prime Minister’s direction No. 274 on planning and using sport facilities in schools, the Department of Education and Training actively developed sport grounds in schools including expansion of grounds and construction of multi-sport grounds, swimming pools and mini soccer fields.
Furthermore, the education sector provides expenditure on purchasing sport equipment for schools.
Director of the sport center in District 1 Tran Anh Tuan said that the center annually guides schools to set up sport clubs to train professional athletes. Additionally, the center establishes social unions for each sport as well as take heed of sport facilities in private schools to diversify services in a bid to generate extra revenue for facilities.
Similar, the bureau of education in District 4 yearly partners with the district sport center to deliver effective swimming lessons to children in primary schools. The rate of children who can perform all five basic swimming skills in the academic year 2019-2020 was over 80 percent. The District also sets up sport clubs of soccer, basketballs, volleyballs and martial arts in preschools, primary schools.
The district administration required newly-built schools must have sport grounds.
Children of Primary School Nguyen Binh Khiem in District 1 have two mandatory swimming lessons a week. They will swim in the swimming pool opposite to the school.
However, teachers bumped into difficulties with large classes sometimes up to 50 children with one coach; therefore, the school in partnership with the sport center and the swimming club Nguyen Binh Khiem has organized open water festival to check students’ swimming skills.
Many schools in HCMC have promoted sport activities after class hours to improve students’ fitness.

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