9) Physical Education in Ireland in the International Context

Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence on the value of Physical Activity, and the fact that the 1978 UNESCO Charter enshrined Physical Education as a basic human right, Physical Education is in a perilous position in all regions of the world. Some national governments have either removed Physical Education from the curriculum, or reduced curriculum time allocation.

Mackendrick (1996) summarises the situation effectively stating that, "Physical Education is not seen as a priority in the '90s. It is under severe attack and faces competition for time within the school curriculum. Often Physical Education is being taught by generalist teachers with little or no preparation in Physical Education methods. Additionally, budget cutbacks are having a negative impact on the time and resources required to teach a quality Physical Education programme"

In order to determine the extent of the problem, a world-wide audit of the state and status of Physical Education in schools was initiated by International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and funded by the International Olympic Committee The audit results show the critical status of Physical Education around the world, regardless of geography or socio-economic status. Five key issues clearly define the challenge Physical Education is facing:

• Statutory requirements for Physical Education
  
• Subject status of Physical Education
  
• Curriculum time allocation
  
• Teacher training
  
• Resources
  

The following generic statements summarise the status of Physical Education Worldwide. It must be emphasised that these statements also reflect the situation in Ireland. The relationship between current worldwide provision in Physical Education and the increasing incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases is clearly apparent. Ireland is currently at a crossroads regarding Physical Education provision, the government can chose to ignore inadequate levels of provision and subsequently observe the incidence of disease and death related to inactivity rise or the government can make the decision to become an internationally recognised exemplar of good practice in the context of Physical Education provision.

1. Statutory Requirements for Physical Education

In 92% of the 126 countries sampled, Physical Education is legally required but few countries actually implement their statutory requirements. Globally around 30% of Physical Education is dropped to make way for other subjects.

2. Subject Status of Physical Education

In many regions of the world, Physical Education is perceived as being a non-productive educational activity, less important to a successful future than academic subjects. Physical Education occupies a low position at the bottom of the 'curriculum barrel'. Overall 86% of countries' respondents indicate that Physical Education has attained a similar legal status to other subjects, but this is not matched in practice.

3. Curriculum Time Allocation

Most curriculum time is allocated when children are between 9-14 years of age, with reductions in time as age increases - especially in the upper years of schooling, when it either becomes an optional subject or it disappears from the timetable.

4. Teacher Training

Too often Physical Education teachers in Primary or elementary schools are untrained for the subject and some conduct Physical Education lessons as supervised play. Physical Education is taught by the classroom teacher who usually has had little or no training in Physical Education. There are more trained Physical Education teachers at the secondary level, but many Physical Education classes are still provided by untrained teachers

5. Resources

Funding for Physical Education is being disproportionately cut as government departments try and cope with reduced funding. The result is a loss in both the quantity and quality of Physical Education programs. Both the provision of facilities and their maintenance are inadequate in many schools world-wide. Globally, only 31% of countries have adequate facilities. In the less developed countries, there are greater challenges in providing a full range of facilities; but even in countries with more established systems of Physical Education, there were reports of poor maintenance and loss of facilities.

Overall, the findings of the survey indicate a widespread scepticism and pessimism for the future of school Physical Education. Physical Education has been pushed into a defensive position. It is suffering from decreasing time in the curriculum, budgetary controls with inadequate financial, material and human resources, and low subject status and esteem. It is being ever more marginalised and undervalued by authorities.

However, despite these problems, there were many examples of good practice across the world. In all cases, such quality Physical Education is led by teachers with good training and skills.