DisOrientated - A Weblog by Philip Sen

March 26, 2004

Running into Trouble

Just heard those expressions again. "It's not me, it's the director." "This is the Chinese mind." Thursday afternoon had me seething with that deep frustration tinged with ironic laughter that other China residents know all too well.

I detected the fishiness quite early. "May I leave class a little early today?" asked a student as we waited for the classroom to free up. "I have to go for a run."

Far from being in training for the Olympic squad, the individual concerned was in fact trying to stay out of trouble. He wasn't the first. This week a high proportion of students have slunk through the door five minutes late after the mid-lesson break, breathless and red-faced after a 10-minute jog around the sports track.

On this occasion I decided go see for myself just what the issue was.

Each lesson at my university lasts for 100 minutes - two 45 minute periods with a 10 minute break in between. This is a thoroughly good idea since it gives students (and teachers) a bit of relaxation time during which the brain can recover.

Also a good idea is compulsory physical training for university students. Few of the 200 kids I teach are overweight, whereas it would be a very different story in the UK and worse still in the US. A fit mind in a healthy body.

There again, it could be down to the appalling food they serve in the canteens. Furthermore, the enforcement technique leaves a lot to be desired.

At the stroke of the four o'clock break, before the bell had stopped ringing, droves of students were scampering out of the teaching building and hastening toward the athletics track. I set off in pursuit.

There they were, most wearing jeans, jumpers, coats and shoes, some of the girls in kitten heels, doing their PT. It was laughable. Many were walking.

Standing at the edge of the 400m track was one of the fattest Chinese people I've ever seen, certainly too bloated to have been able to run himself. He was holding an electronic device and as each student passed they held a swipe card beside it. Thus the fact that they had made it round the track was digitally recorded.

Apparently, each student has to obtain 'credit' for their PT. Perhaps 10 laps per day, I'm not sure. If the appropriate distance is not reached, they are penalised via their academic record.

Now, they should jog before breakfast, take a shower, eat and then go to class. The pong emanating from some of them during the day may indicate that this is not the case. The amount of students trying to catch up during class at the moment is further evidence.

I'm told that the track will be renovated in April, leaving the lazier students limited time to make up their credit quota. And they can only run when the electronic recorder man is present.

To be fair to the fat controller, he has to answer to someone else, who eventually in turn has to answer to the Ministry of Education. The university will be penalised if it cannot show that the physical training programme is being fulfilled.

The university therefore has to demonstrate that its students have fulfilled the 'running distance' quota imposed upon it. Presumably there's some official somewhere ticking boxes: "Yep, the accounting students this week have run a total distance of 10,000 km between them. Tally ho!"

It's symptomatic of a ridiculous keeping-up-appearances situation that while it works in general has some serious flaws.

1. To draw the health benefits you should exercise for at least 20 minutes at least three times per week. Trotting around the athletics track during your breaks is not going to achieve this.

2. They're students. They're not all going to roll out of bed and go for a run at 6am unless they have a bewhiskered drill sergeant screaming in their faces.

3. I've even heard that the lazy ones often pay the racing snakes to do a couple of extra laps on their behalf. Thus, not all the students are gaining from the exercise regime.

4. It's hard to quantify the disruptiveness of having half your students turn up five minutes late and in no state to learn. I am paid to teach them, they are here to learn. Period.

Here's a summary. Each university has to produce a quota of distance run. So the students do it in such a way that they neglect their study. Though the quota is fulfilled, in fact the running has mostly been useless.

Let's look at another example. Each village has to produce a quota of metal. So they spend all their time melting down pots, pans and farm equipment, neglecting their crops. Though the quota is fulfilled, in fact the low-grade metal is mostly useless.

Sound familiar? I don't accept that this is 'the Chinese mind'.

Posted by Sendover at March 26, 2004 04:49 PM | TrackBack

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