subject: Why should sports students get special lifeline? [print this page] Why should sports students get special lifeline?
Students who have opted out of mainstream education to pursue athletic ambitions at the Sports school have several safety nets if they can't handle studies and competitive sports. One allows them to opt out at any point and return to a mainstream school. Hence, i do not see why sport-school students should be any different. They took the route to the sports school and should bear full responsibility should it backfire. Upon setting foot in the school, they should know they have to balance sports and studies. Many students in the mainstream schools face this problem too, so why should the students of the sports school be given a lifeline?
It is commendable that the boys and girls of the sports schools get to keep more flexible school hours and can finish the O level over a longer time if needed. However, we should be grooming responsible sports people, not men and women who jump ship at every problem encountered. Beside, Students could stay on in the school and treat their respective sports as co-curricular activities if they decided to drop out of competitive sports. In addition to that, if students want to transfer out of the sports school, they should do it on their own merit, to be fair to all students in secondary school and to the schools which have to hold places for them. Panel to take four-stage approach in mapping out how best to cut dropout rate.
( a ) Examining current policies , such as whether there is enough financial assistance for needy students who might be tempted to drop out of school so that they can support the family ;
( b ) Diagnosing why students are dropping out of school;
( c ) Getting feedback from dropouts, parents, principals, teachers and current students; and
( d ) Strategizing short-term and long-term action plans.
The resulting strategies are expected to be multi-pronged, involving parents, government agencies, self-help groups, grassroots bodies and voluntary welfare organizations.
