Sports talent bank

Arthur Wellesley, the first duke of Wellington who fought against Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and later became English prime minister, said, “The victory of Waterloo started from the playground at Eton.” Eton School was the first school to introduce physical education. A descendant of fallen Irish aristocrats, Wellesley tried hard in physical education class though an unremarkable student at Eton. Even now, students at Eton study in the morning and play sports such as soccer, horseback riding and rowing in the afternoon.

Developed countries set the number of hours for physical education under law because it builds strength and stamina, develops the brain, and helps students abide by rules with sportsmanship, and develop a sense of community. California allocates at least 200 minutes for 10 class days except for lunch hour and breaks at elementary schools and 400 minutes at middle and high schools. In France, middle school students must have at least four hours of physical education along with French and mathematics, more hours than English (three hours). Australia’s Physical Activity Recommendations mandate 5 to 18-year-olds to engage in physical activities for more than one hour per day and limit the use of electronic devices such as computer games for less than two hours per day.

Lack of physical education in Korea correlates to online games and a huge emphasis on the college entrance exam with major subjects such as Korean, English and mathematics. A survey of elementary school students in 2009 found that only 13.3 percent participated in the “7560+” program, which encourages students to exercise for 60 minutes or more for five days per week. If schools attempt to increase physical classes, parents protest. As a result, students have become physical weaklings; though big, they are not strong enough. The share of those with top-level physical strength declined 4.7 percent over the past decade while that of the lowest level increased 12.5 percent.

The Education, Science and Technology Ministry announced a plan Thursday to encourage more physical activities among students by inviting star athletes to schools as P.E. teachers. The plan is named “sports talent bank.” If famous athletes such as Park Ji-sung or Kim Yu-na teach sports at school for even just one day, students will grow much more interested in sports. Hopefully, a series of renowned athletes will participate in talent donation so they can give back the love and support they received from the people to young students.

Editorial Writer Chung Sung-hee (shchung@donga.com)