Government want school focus on athletics,badminton&squa
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Physical and Sports Education (JPJS) have cleared the air on why there there was no intake of new hockey players to Form One of the Bukit Jalil Sports Scholl (BJSS) this year. Their deputy director general, Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, said yesterday that it had been decided that BJSS would only focus on three of the eight core sports that receive full funding from the government – athletics, badminton and squash. He said that the decision to have three core sports in each of the sports school in the country was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Sports chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on July 31 last year. And at a joint meeting between Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai on Dec 12, it was decided that athletics, badminton and squash be based in BJSS. Hockey is one of the core sports and it will be based at the Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS). The others core sports are aquatics, bowling, football and gymnastics. Three more sports school in Pahang, Perlis and Sabah are in the pipeline. Abdul Ghafar added that the elite students from other sports, including hockey, would still remain in the BJSS. “Of the total 550 students based in BJSS, 64 are hockey players – 23 in the Under-15 team, 29 in Under-17 and 12 in Under-19,” he said. “The BJSS will stop the new intake of Form One students for hockey this year. And the Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) will continue to enrol new students.” It was reported that the decision not to enrol hockey players in Form One at BJSS came as a surprise and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) felt that it would have a severe effect on the sport’s development in the country. The MHC said the BPSS location was not ideal and parents were unhappy to send their children there while Bukit Jalil boast of having top-class facilities. Abdul Ghafar added that it was the Cabinet Committee's decision and they were just implementing it. He also said that the Education Ministry would also upgrade hockey sports schools in every state to make sure that there would be a big pool of quality players. “If a student is not happy to be base in BPSS, he can continue to train at the sports school in his state,” said Abdul Ghafar. He said that the Education Ministry were aware of the lack of qualified coaches in BPSS and the sports school in other states. “We hope the NSC (National Sports Council) and MHF (Malaysian Hockey Federation) will help us solve this problem. The development of sports in the country should not be based only at the BJSS,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Physical and Sports Education (JPJS) have cleared the air on why there there was no intake of new hockey players to Form One of the Bukit Jalil Sports Scholl (BJSS) this year. Their deputy director general, Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, said yesterday that it had been decided that BJSS would only focus on three of the eight core sports that receive full funding from the government – athletics, badminton and squash. He said that the decision to have three core sports in each of the sports school in the country was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Sports chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on July 31 last year. And at a joint meeting between Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai on Dec 12, it was decided that athletics, badminton and squash be based in BJSS. Hockey is one of the core sports and it will be based at the Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS). The others core sports are aquatics, bowling, football and gymnastics. Three more sports school in Pahang, Perlis and Sabah are in the pipeline. Abdul Ghafar added that the elite students from other sports, including hockey, would still remain in the BJSS. “Of the total 550 students based in BJSS, 64 are hockey players – 23 in the Under-15 team, 29 in Under-17 and 12 in Under-19,” he said. “The BJSS will stop the new intake of Form One students for hockey this year. And the Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) will continue to enrol new students.” It was reported that the decision not to enrol hockey players in Form One at BJSS came as a surprise and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) felt that it would have a severe effect on the sport’s development in the country. The MHC said the BPSS location was not ideal and parents were unhappy to send their children there while Bukit Jalil boast of having top-class facilities. Abdul Ghafar added that it was the Cabinet Committee's decision and they were just implementing it. He also said that the Education Ministry would also upgrade hockey sports schools in every state to make sure that there would be a big pool of quality players. “If a student is not happy to be base in BPSS, he can continue to train at the sports school in his state,” said Abdul Ghafar. He said that the Education Ministry were aware of the lack of qualified coaches in BPSS and the sports school in other states. “We hope the NSC (National Sports Council) and MHF (Malaysian Hockey Federation) will help us solve this problem. The development of sports in the country should not be based only at the BJSS,” he said.