No tangible help

Pu Jiangchao (www.voc.com.cn): The health of young students is deteriorating, and it's undoubtedly very important to encourage them to exercise more to improve their physique. I agree that P.E should make up a bigger proportion on students' curriculum schedule, but it does not mean that P.E. should be listed among subjects to be tested in the Gaokao. Although comprehensive and overall development of a student is one of the goals of the education, students' right to receive higher education can't be discounted just because of their relatively poor physical condition.

Some students enjoy good health, but they may not be able to perform well in the high jump or running. Some students may have poor health since birth. It's not their fault, and it's unfair to strip them of the rights to go to college for the sake of health or low scores in a P.E. subject.

Actually, the P.E. standard in the Gaokao is lowering, which means students' health is not thought to be as important as before. At the same time, the age threshold for students has also been relaxed. College education is a public resource, so whether one is an old citizen, or a person with poor health or even disabilities, he or she is entitled to have higher education.

Nowadays, when problems come up among students, people will often easily turn to the Gaokao for a solution. However, the Gaokao is just a kind of intelligence test, and is unable to help solve all students' problems. Actually, it is because too much hope is pinned on the exam that students begin to live under heavy pressure long before they write the test. To some extent, students' physical condition is deteriorating not because P.E. is not internalized into the Gaokao, but because too many things are connected to the Gaokao.

Sports are important to students in middle and primary schools, but it's not necessary to highlight its importance by making it a Gaokao subject. If students are not struggling with such heavy academic burden, and if every school provides them with proper sports facilities, students will naturally have more time to do sports and their health on the whole will improve.

If P.E. is made a Gaokao subject, it will be another item that students will have to work hard on. Or if P.E. is used as a subject that can add extra points to some students' college entrance examination result, it's unfair to most Gaokao participants. It is not a practical method to help improve student health .

Sun Weiguo(www.kids21.cn): It is a good suggestion, but it should not be pushed too hard. It should be done step by step. P.E. should be strengthened since kindergarten—not suddenly imposed on senior middle schools. Otherwise, it's unfair to these immediate graduates.

Strong physique is a result of long-term exercises since childhood, but can never be achieved within a short period of time. If P.E. is suddenly made a Gaokao subject, many senior middle school students will have to do a lot of sports during a certain period so as to cope with the upcoming Gaokao. The problem is that even if students suddenly begin to spend a lot of time on physical exercises, many of them may still fail in physical tests and this will further affect their Gaokao.

For so many years, academic performance has been the only criterion. As long as they can achieve good grades on exams, they are good students. No one cares about physical exercise, including teachers and parents. In many schools, P.E. classes are neglected.

Today's senior middle school students are seriously lacking in physical exercises. They can't expect their physique to improve overnight and it's unfair to add P.E. to the Gaokao. If they are encouraged to do sports since kindergarten, physical exercise will become a habit, in which case they are very likely to have good health regardless of whether P.E. becomes a Gaokao subject.

It's not that P.E. should not be made a Gaokao subject, but it's improper to push P.E. into the Gaokao too quickly. When physical education is stressed beginning in kindergarten, implementing the plan will be a natural thing. Otherwise, on one hand, it will not do so much to improve student health, and on the other hand, it will become a burden.

Yu Xiu (sports.sohu.com): In east China's Shandong Province, the education authorities have already started to include P.E. in the Gaokao. P.E. scores will be referred to when colleges recruit new students. This practice has to some extent kindled enthusiasm for physical exercises.

P.E. is an important part of a student's overall education. I hope it will not be operated in the way other academic subjects are. When it becomes another examination-oriented discipline, students may become reluctant to do sports. As a result, it will do little help to improve their health.

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