Because of the pressure of new subjects such as business studies, many schools have dropped sport or physical education (PE) from the curriculum. How important is sport or PE in a young person’s education?

Sample 1:

Excluding sport or physical education from the school curriculum, I would consider it an unwise step, even if it is to accommodate professionally relevant subjects like business studies.

The active participation of students in physical education can help them to develop a healthy body which is immune to many common diseases. Child obesity, which is a common phenomenon, especially in western countries, is often associated with lack of physical exercise. This can eventually lead to many lifestyle diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure even at an early age.  School is the best place where a young person can be motivated and initiated into sports. Although there may be other facilities like clubs and gymnasium where children can participate in sports, there are many practical difficulties. If schools avoid sports from their curriculum, many students would not participate in any kind of physical activity, leading to an unhealthy future generation.

Participating in sports can help students to develop sportsman spirit, skills of socialisation and a spirit of competition. It is also an opportunity for them to ease their stress created by spending long hours in classrooms. It is often seen that children who actively participate in group sports have greater ability to handle anxiety and tension-filled situations associated with their studies.

Moreover, the concept of developing the comprehensive personality of a student will definitely receive a setback, if physical education is removed from school curriculum. Again, extraordinary sports talents are usually spotted and nurtured in schools that give importance to physical education along with academic studies.

In the final analysis, although it may sometimes seem that physical education is unnecessary in today’s education system because of the importance given to career oriented subjects, it will definitely hamper the physical and emotional development of children.