Fewer school kids interested in sports: DepEd

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, Feb. 10  -- Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones has reiterated the value of sports in academics as she noted that fewer schoolchildren are showing interest in athletics.

During the closing rites of the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletics Association (EVRAA) Meet 2018 here Friday, Briones said of the 1.9 million senior high school students, only .001 percent have chosen sports as their field, while 60 percent picked academics; 39 percent, vocational or technical courses; and the rest, culture and arts.

“That is why sports is very important to our education. It is mandated in our law to promote sports to develop critical thinking, the capacity to absorb, the capacity to ask question, and the capacity to elevate,” Briones told the 6,000 sports meet participants from seven cities and six provinces.

She said the development of critical thinking, capacity to ask questions, and capacity to innovate could not be gained by an individual unless he or she is physically fit.

“You cannot do all your things if you are not fit in mind and in body and this is where sports is very important. Physical fitness is very important whether you are in academic or in vocational or in arts,” she said.

The staging of EVRAA and other regional sports competitions is vital not only to the education department, but also to the country because this becomes the venue to look and discover future sports champions, Briones added.

“I am sure you are aware that a significant number of our national athletes, whom we sent abroad to compete are winners of the Palarong Pambasa,” Briones said.

The education chief said the success of such activities as EVRAA also depends on the assistance coming from local governments, given her department’s meager budget for hosting big events.

For EVRAA 2018, about PHP1.5 million was allocated by the education department, PHP700,000 of which came from the budget of the regional education office. This amount was uniform for all other DepEd regional offices.

Calbayog Mayor Ronaldo Aquino said the local government allocated PHP35 million for the city’s hosting of the regional athletic event.

It was Briones’ third visit to the region.

The first was after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Ormoc last June, and the second, after Tropical Storm Urduja that devastated the province of Biliran late last year. (RTA/JSA/PNA)