Hong Kong schools are striving for a healthier balance by promoting exercise

Students across East Asia are typically seen as diligent, smart and high-achieving, as Pisa scores show, but they also face overwhelming pressure to perform from parents, educational systems and society at large, and this can have impacts on their health.

A recent study in Hong Kong found that more than 90 per cent of students were getting less than the 60 minutes of exercise per day recommended by the World Health Organization. “This is due, in part, to the heavy emphasis parents place on their children’s academic results,” says Patrick Ip Pak-keung, a clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong’s paediatrics and adolescent medicine department who led the study.

In fact, the emphasis on academic performance is so deeply ingrained in Asian culture as an indicator of future success that students often swap adequate sleep and exercise for extended study hours – sacrificing their mental and physical health in the process.

Recognising that schools play a part in that equation, the Hong Kong Education Bureau recently issued a revised grading mechanism governing the assignment of secondary school places. A score for physical education (PE) is now a small part of the assessment, giving students more incentive to get and stay active alongside pursuing their academic goals.

According to Sam Wong Wing-sum, executive director of the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, schools need to become more sports-friendly to develop children’s interest in physical activities from a young age. Besides having adequate facilities, the school environment also needs to encourage students to be active.

“Many institutions lack adequate facilities like playgrounds or sports equipment, leaving teachers to creatively adapt programmes within tight constraints,” says Carla Dos Santos, head of health at French International School (FIS). “Through partnerships with government facilities, our students enjoy access to a football pitch and track-and-field areas. The school also boasts two on-campus swimming pools and three gymnasiums, ensuring ample opportunities for physical engagement.”

Making enough time for physical activity is key. “School sports are an essential part of our educational mission” says Dr Arnold Leitner, deputy principal and head of the German international stream at GSIS. “With two or three hours of sports per week, we aim to awaken the joy of movement in all children and adolescents, and to convey that sports have a positive effect on their physical, social, emotional and mental development.”