Encouraging our children's interests

ON my recent trip to Fraser's Hill to escape the heat in city, I discovered how easy it was to get to this retreat destination. It is only two hours away from Kuala Lumpur.
As we were approaching the town centre, we saw a big orange sign by the road that read: "Bird Interpretive Centre".
The next day, we decided to check out the centre. I asked Puncak Inn Hotel receptionist cum tourist information if I could visit the centre.
Immediately he arranged his colleague to unlock the door for me. To my surprise, there were many pictures of beautiful birds found in Fraser's Hill, information about birds and also their importance.
Besides that, there were also pictures and write-ups about the functions of NGOs like Malaysia Nature Society and WWF-Malaysia. Lovely sound of the birds chirping also filled the centre.
Sadly, I was informed that the centre was underutilised. Holiday makers to Fraser's Hill no longer visit the facility. Perhaps the visitors are unaware of the facility.
I also discovered that the public library right downstairs also was not popular with visitors. It was empty when I stepped in. What a pity!
It would be lovely to have all those children playing outside to do some reading and activities in the library. Parents could spend some time flipping through the books with beautiful pictures of the wildlife.
Visiting these two facilities reminded me of the field trips my daughter participated during her schooling years.
She has been to the chocolate factory, bread factory, Zoo Negara, Bird park, National Museum, and Petronas Science Centre. Many schools also organise trips to destinations like Malacca, Langkawi and Singapore for older students.
Even theme parks. I believe these are the standard field trips most schools including private schools make. The same destinations year after year. I have never heard of a visit to place like the Bird Interpretive Centre to inculcate their love for nature or to stimulate their interest in certain subject.
Ironically, after the trips, teachers do not hold sessions to discuss on what they could have learned from the trips or to enhance it. There seems to be a misleading objective of the trips. Is it another source of revenue for the schools or just to keep the students occupied while other students are sitting for their core exams?
I hope the Education Ministry could look into the matter to see if these school field trips are truly beneficial to the students. A serious look into how to make good use of their time after year-end exams is needed urgently.
A lot of the time, students are left unattended in their classrooms or school fields. Students who are involved in sport activities are left playing among themselves without a coach.
This results in students skipping school or playing truant due to boredom.
Perhaps more sport related activities could be introduced. For example, bowling, skating, archery and cycling. Or non-sport related activities like debating, public speaking, general knowledge and performance art.
I believe many parents share the same sentiment in this matter. Let's work together to cultivate our children's interests and get them inspired.
Jenny Ngiam
Kuala Lumpur