That statement marked an important shift in educational management thinking: Instead of relying solely on the public system, education needs to be fueled by the community, where artists, experts, and scientists become part of the curriculum. Looking at school sports in particular, the General Secretary's direction opens up a huge path.
In countries with the world's leading sports, school sports are a professional playground for semi-professional athletes and a dedicated environment for athletes and coaches who are no longer at the peak of their careers. Schools are also the place to solve the problem of infrastructure most effectively, with football fields and multi-functional gymnasiums invested with non-budgetary capital, directly serving the physical activities of students but also forming a potential audience for high-performance sports.
Although there is a separate sports festival (Phu Dong Sports Festival), school sports are still the main work of the education sector, mainly for physical activities, with absolutely no "career guidance" element like in many other countries. In fact, many schools in Vietnam have football fields, gymnasiums, established professional clubs, signed contracts with high-level athletes and coaches... to improve the quality of training for students. However, because of the educational approach, the path for a student to become a professional athlete while still in school is still vague.
Meanwhile, good athletes and coaches earn extra income by “teaching classes” at sports centers. There, they are also called “teachers” and their students are mostly students, taking advantage of their time after school to pursue their passion for sports. Although not many, these courses are the origin and have introduced many talents to Vietnamese sports. In the case that the teaching of sports skills at schools is carried out by the education sector as directed by the General Secretary, the “sports teachers” will have more experience and income.
In the context where the sports industry is implementing a key investment strategy, reforming the athlete training system, promoting the socialization process, while the education industry is aiming at human perfection in the school environment, perhaps it is time for a "tight handshake" between the two fields that have a decisive meaning for the physical fitness of Vietnamese people in the new era. This is a great opportunity to bring school sports into reality, where each school is a multi-sport club, each student will be a potential athlete and school sports are not only physical activities but also elective subjects with career orientation.
To do that, it is necessary to solve the long-standing “bottleneck” of school sports, which is the deeper participation of the sports industry through the competition system for students as well as the ability to contribute of top athletes, especially inspirational stars. Arousing passion, opening a mechanism for students to play sports as a future career opportunity, having a regular competitive playground throughout the learning process will help school sports in Vietnam have a place in the process of national sports development.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/buoc-dot-pha-cho-the-thao-hoc-duong-post794585.html
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