BEIJING, Beijing, March 28th (Shang Qi) Can’t graduate from Tsinghua University without swimming? A few days ago, Tsinghua University confirmed that starting from Grade 2017, students in this school must pass the swimming test, otherwise they will not get the graduation certificate, except in special circumstances.
Will swimming be linked to getting a diploma? Is the requirement too harsh? Why do some students always worry about physical education tests? Behind the "compulsory", what room is there for improvement in school physical education?
Can’t swim, can’t get a diploma
Recently, it is reported that Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University, announced at the faculty meeting of the university that Tsinghua University will require all undergraduates to learn to swim from 2017, and at the same time, it will adjust the curriculum to give students more time to go to the playground.
In this regard, some media confirmed from Tsinghua University that starting from Grade 2017, students in this school must pass the swimming test after admission or take swimming lessons and meet the requirements, otherwise they will not be able to obtain graduation certificates, and students who suffer from skin diseases, water phobia and other diseases that are not suitable for swimming may not take part.
In response to this regulation, an online survey shows that more than 60% of netizens support it. One of the options is, "Learning to swim well can save your life, and the school has good intentions." However, some netizens think that the regulations are too "wonderful". Is it "too hard" to force students to swim?
In fact, the reporter from Zhongxin. com found that Tsinghua University was not the only one who had "good intentions" in order to let students master swimming skills.
It is understood that Peking University, Xiamen University and other universities have rigid requirements for swimming teaching. In the independent enrollment assessment in 2017, Xiamen University requires candidates to choose any one of the six categories of track and field, martial arts, swimming and physical fitness according to their own conditions, and the weight of physical examination is 20%.
Is swimming a necessary skill for first-class talents?
For this new regulation in Tsinghua University, the reporter from Zhongxin.com interviewed many college students in the school. Some students told reporters that the school’s move is aimed at cultivating students’ physique, which is also conducive to future work and study in the long run. However, some students think that students’ own willingness to learn should be taken care of, and swimming is more suitable as an elective course in universities.
The Sports Department of Tsinghua University also said that not all students have to take swimming lessons. Freshmen will take a swimming test after entering the school. If they swim 50 meters in any of the four standard strokes of breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle and backstroke, they will pass, and those who fail must take swimming lessons.
Some commentators said that it is better to be persuasive than to force students to take physical education exams, expecting students to simply enjoy the pleasure of sports and cultivate a hobby that will benefit them for life.
Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at China Academy of Educational Sciences, said in an interview with Zhongxin.com that it is difficult for every student to learn to swim. He believes that this involves the choice of personal hobbies.
Chu Zhaohui said that it is necessary to have rigid requirements for students’ sports time during school, but the sports events should be diverse. He explained, "Some people are tall and play basketball better, while those who are small may be suitable for gymnastics. It is not necessary to make a single requirement for one sports event, but they should be flexible."
In an interview with Zhongxin. com, Bie Dunrong, director of the Higher Education Research Center of Xiamen University, thinks that what courses colleges offer and what requirements they have for teaching should not be "fussy", but he is puzzled that higher education is to cultivate first-class talents. Will swimming be linked to graduation certificates? Does it mean that "swimming is an essential skill for first-class talents"?
Why are students afraid of physical education tests?
With swimming becoming a compulsory course in some schools, it is worth exploring why sports tests like swimming have always become a "heart disease" for some students and even their parents in recent years, whether it is the senior high school entrance examination or the college entrance examination.
An investigation bulletin on the state of national fitness activities released by the State General Administration of Sport in earlier years shows that the main reason why children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 are unwilling to participate in physical exercise is that they are afraid of "affecting their studies", accounting for 44.2%, and others are "not interested", "not liking", "lacking sports skills" and "being too tired" in turn.
On the one hand, students and parents are worried that physical exercise will "affect their study", and on the other hand, the requirements of school education for physical education tests are getting higher and higher, and the enthusiasm for students’ physical fitness tests is not diminished. In Chu Zhaohui’s view, this is actually a manifestation of "sports being cold".
He said, "Many schools pay attention to test scores and other academic achievements, and pay insufficient attention to sports. In this case, it is necessary to advocate more sports.
However, Biedunrong found that from kindergarten to primary school, students have physical education class, and from the college entrance examination to the university, students are still afraid of physical education exams. The reason is that "some physical education at present does not cultivate students’ sports interests and specialties, but only to pass the exams, which is the defect of current physical education." (End)
He believes that compulsory swimming tests like Tsinghua University’s may cause some students to feel afraid of difficulties, and it is difficult for them to really enjoy swimming and sports.
It has also been suggested that swimming is not only a sport, but also a survival skill, and you may be able to save yourself in case of danger. In this regard, Chu Zhaohui believes that this is not simply a question of incorporating swimming into the exam, but how to cultivate students’ understanding of the value of life.
关于作者