Neglecting ``less important’’ subjects, particularly physical education, is making parents and experts question the effectiveness and outcome of a policy that was originally aimed to ease the burden of students.
According to a report from Rep. Ahn Min-seok from the Democratic Party, more high schools are scheduling shorter periods for all or most of their physical education classes, instead of allocating them proportionally throughout the three years of high school.
Only 1,178 schools out of 3,673, or 32 percent, have evenly allotted physical education classes for three years, or a total of six semesters, this year, while 42 percent of the schools squeezed the subject down to four semesters.
This is the result of a new policy that allows schools to determine independently certain hours of any subject in any timeline as far as the student fulfills the required hours.
Effective this year, the policy has gradually allowed schools to schedule all the prerequisite hours for physical education classes, a subject that is not considered major to enter university, in the freshmen year. As a result students don’t attend physical education classes during the second and last years of high school.
The same applies to middle schools. According to the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education, 158 schools out of 250, or more than 63 percent, had at least one semester curriculum with no physical education classes, while 44.2 percent went a year without a single physical education class.
``Physical education may not be as important as math or English, but students still need to get exercise during their high school years. This kind of `trend’ is a bit worrying in terms of their physical and also mental health,’’ said a high school teacher, who only identified himself as Lee.
Kim Dong-seok, spokesperson of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association, said that schools should not ignore “less-important” subjects regardless of the trend.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education issued a press release regarding the subject Tuesday, saying that the policy was originally made to lessen the students’ burden of studying too many subjects and also heighten the effectiveness of other important subjects.
It also added that it had advised schools to work on additional physical education-related clubs and events for students that don’t get enough exercise beside the required hours of physical education classes.
집중이수제로 점점 줄어드는 체육수업
집중이수제로 인해 고등학교 2년 동안 체육 수업을 듣지 않는 학생들이 점점 많아지고 있다. 학생들의 수업 공부 부담과 효율적인 시간배분을 위해 올해부터 실시되었던 집중이수제로 많은 학교들이 교과목 중 입시제도에 큰 영향을 끼치지 않는 체육수업을 1학년 1년에 모아서 수업을 하기 시작했다.
이와 관련 많은 학부모들과 전문가들은 학생들의 정신적 체력적 건강을 걱정하고 있다고 한다. 아울러 교과부는 집중이수제에 대한 설명이 담긴 보도자료를 내면서 학생들의 건강을 위해 학교에 교과과정 외에 체육활동이나 클럽활동을 활성화하도록 지시했다고 발표했다.
