Sports should be compulsory in school – an Open Speech
Physical education and sports activities are part and parcel of the Malaysian school curriculum. However, sports is not compulsory for all students. Normally, only students who are exceptionally good in certain sports will receive training and participate in competitions. In my opinion, sports should be made compulsory in school because participation in sports activities has many benefits for students.
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they hear the word ‘sports’ is exercise. Sports provides students with exercise that leads to good physical health. A recent news report said that obesity among Malaysians is on the rise. It is commonly known that the best way to avoid becoming obese is to exercise regularly. Nevertheless, there are some students who do not like exercising. For this group, making sports mandatory in schools would be an ideal way of making sure that they get the exercise needed to stay healthy.
Besides improving physical health, participating in sports also teaches students important soft skills and values. Leadership skills, discipline, and perseverance can all be learned through sports. Teamwork is also a valuable thing to learn through sports. In team sports such as football, basketball, or volleyball, players must learn to work together and cooperate with one another in order to succeed. These important lessons that can be learned through sports lead to the well-rounded development of children and teenagers.
On the other hand, some people feel that making sports compulsory in school would lead to some negative consequences. Sports is mostly about competition. This might make youngsters focus too much on winning and become overly competitive. However, in my opinion, this provides a good opportunity for young people to be taught how to compete in a fair and honest manner. They should also be taught that it is not winning but trying one’s best that matters. Experiencing healthy competition in school will help prepare young people for the working world which is a competitive place after all.
In conclusion, sports has many benefits for students. Taking part in sports promotes good health, develops soft skills encourages good values, and prepares young people for the competitive environment they will face when they leave school. Hence, it only makes sense to make sports compulsory in school.
