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Students of High School for the Gifted in Sports and Physical Education study according to the academic program of the Ministry of Education and Training |
In April and May 2023, the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City carried out a survey at three high schools for the gifted in physical education and sports in the southern metropolis regarding the implementation of the municipal People's Council’s Resolution 05 on specific policies for coaches and athletes.
Athletes find it difficult to balance school and sports
Education is important to a student’s future and ensures the goals of comprehensive development in addition to physical training. Many athletes have left sports careers because they can’t balance education and sports practice.
Moreover, many parents want their children to focus on cultural studies to have a stable job in the future rather than following a high-achieving sports career with many uncertainties.
Student athletes find it hard to have enough time to study. They are different from other students as they ought to spend a lot of time practicing and competing not to mention long-term training which affects learning outcomes. In Ho Chi Minh City, athletes in primary and secondary schools still follow the same program as other students, so they face difficulties if they have training sessions for a long time.
A coach at the Ho Chi Minh City artistic gymnastics team said with the current academic program, athletes usually study two shifts a day in schools, so they only practice in the evenings. All-day activities sometimes exhaust athletes who are difficult to concentrate on training. Seeing fatigued children, many parents also feel sorry for their children, so they should consider whether their children should go professional in sports.
Head of Ho Chi Minh City Badminton Department Dang Anh Dang acknowledged that academic schooling is important for athletes, especially in learning foreign languages which is essential when they have to regularly compete internationally. However, the education and training sector should tailor the academic program to suit professional athletes in the national teams
Professional players choose between supplementary learning and formal training
In an attempt to balance the requirements of athletic and academic demands, several professional players resort to learning in the evenings.
According to Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center Ly Dai Nghia, in addition to focusing on talent training, the center also organizes other activities so that athletes can have full enough qualifications and knowledge to continue working in the sports and social sectors.
The center has set up an educational establishment that provides evening classes for more than 300 gifted athletes from grades 6 to 12; Most of them are elite athletes who spend much time on practice and competition; they have no choice but study in the evenings. National athletes with long-term training in different places choose online learning so that they can complete the program.
According to Mr. Nghia, legally, the center’s educational establishment is not certified as a continuing education center or a school. This has caused many difficulties in training as well as coordination for vocational training or other activities.
In the past time, the center has proposed to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training to instruct how to convert the educational establishment into a school legally so that the educational establishment can become a continuing education facility in accordance with the current Education Law.
If athletes do not want to attend evening classes, gifted sports schools are an option. Principal of the High School for Gifted Sports and Physical Education Nguyen Thi Yen Phuong said that the school provides teaching for gifted students in sports under the management of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City. Students can study according to the Ministry of Education and Training’s academic program for high school students. The school organizes online classes to help student athletes who participate in training trips or competitions in cities and national sports tournaments and skipped their classes.
