Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether grades reflect a student’s intelligence, and cast your vote by the end of October 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our September 2015 poll was about whether Physical Education should be competitive or not:

Physical Education classes in school should not be competitive as children who are not good at sports get discouraged and put off from exercise for life.

• I agree. When schools encourage competition, it can be demoralising for children who fail. The emphasis in Physical Education classes should be on physical fitness and improving one’s own performance. (69%, 31 Votes)

• I disagree. Physical education should be about competition, because life is competitive. Students should be ambitious enough to want to win, and those who lose should learn to be gracious. (31%, 14 Votes)

The majority of respondents (69%) feel that the element of competition in physical education classes can be demoralising for those who fail. They feel that PE classes should be focussed on building physical fitness and improving one’s own performance. The remaining 31% of the respondents feel that competition should be an integral part of PE classes, because it helps students face competition and deal with it in the real world.