Romanian parents end up spending a lot of money to give their children the opportunity to exercise

The poor sports activity in Romanian schools causes parents to spend large sums to give their children the opportunity to exercise.

In the country, hundreds of clubs have been developed where the little ones take courses in swimming, dancing, karate or climbing, disciplines that they do not practice at school. The Ministry of Sports has identified the problems, but has few solutions to change the situation.

Carina has been dancing for 12 years, at a club in Brașov, and dreams of staying in the field as an adult.

Carina David: “I would also like to go in this direction, as a coach or maybe more, as a referee“.

Her parents support her financially, and the expenses are not small at all.

Loredana Lazar, parent: “If we put a month with a contest, it probably takes you somewhere to 500 lei, a regular month, somewhere to 250 lei“.

And swimming is an expensive sport. The subscription, which includes two trainings per week, costs 350 lei.

Ioana Mitrofan, swimming teacher: “The demand has grown enormously, but unfortunately in our city we only have this beautiful pool. We have to refuse, because we have nowhere to accumulate so many athletes“.

Some children skip PE classes

While parents pay hundreds of lei per month for their children’s sports activities, many students skip physical education classes. Some complained that at school they only do gymnastics, athletics and games.

Vlăduț Panait, student: “Apart from handball and football, I haven’t practiced anything“.

Eduard Mustață, student: “I would like karate or martial arts to be introduced at school“.

Andrei Dragomir, student: “I think it would be interesting to try new things“.

The Ministry of Sports recognizes that physical education teachers are not specialized and could not initiate students in other sports. The teachers say, however, that the children are not eager to try either.

Gabriel Barbu, sports teacher: “Especially with football and handball, that’s what they’re taught in middle school, and it’s a bit difficult in high school to change them to certain sports“.

How did the teachers of a high school in Dâmbovița manage to reduce school dropouts

However, at the high school in Răcari, Dâmbovița, the teachers resorted to dance lessons to reduce school dropouts, and the method worked.

Oana Hrehoresen, director of Răcari High School, Dâmboviţa county: “We have two dance groups, also for movement, obviously, a group for folk dance and a group for modern dance“.

And a volunteer martial arts instructor is followed by dozens of practitioners.

Constantin Rizea, martial arts trainer: “Wushu is a military discipline. The child is educated through sports, forms a beautiful character, becoming better, wiser, avoiding conflicts“.

In the national strategy for sports, put up for public debate, the Ministry of Sport proposes professional development courses for teachers, so that their classes are more attractive.

Cristian Filip, sports teacher: “I don’t think it would be the problem of the teachers or the specialization, as much as the problem of space, material base and time“.

No educational unit in Romania offers, among the optional subjects, the possibility of practicing a sport. In other countries, children learn to dance, swim or ski at school. And they have numerous school competitions that motivate them to do performance sports.

Source: PROTV news

Tags: children, sport,

Publication date: 23-10-2022 19:32