What South Africa needs to consider to implement the UNESCO Quality Physical Education Project effectively.

Quality Physical Education can offer young people the building blocks to lifelong participation in sport and physical activity as well as potentially lead them to alternative vocational qualifications once they complete schooling. This is because they would have learnt to become physically literate, which ensures they became competent movers in a wide range of activities. As a result of the learner having grasped movement competencies it’s easier for the athlete to represent their school, district, province, or country in a range of sports. The activities that should be on offer to young people should include combat activities, striking activities, dance, aquatic activities , aesthetic activities ,outdoor and adventure activities, net and wall activities, invasion games and athletic activities. Its imperitive that south Africa diversifies the narrative that only a certain group of people can participate in certain sports. The Springboks are a classical example of unity in diversity. We need to train young people to become physically literate in foundation phase, because that’s one of the most important periods for motor learning, especially to develop fundamental movement skills and also sports specific skills.

?

Furthermore, participation in Physical Education is beneficial for health. In many first world countries, physical education is taken very seriously. Especially in Japan where students have up to 3 curricula hours of physical education a week in activities such as tennis, dance, baseball, soccer, basketball and volleyball. Additionally, after school students have extracurricular activities in sports that they specilse in, raking in a considerable amount of hours a week in training from elementary school to senior high school. This allows these learners to become highly competent at sports because they have mastered fundamental movement skills and sports specific skills from a young age.

Quality physical education will remain a distant dream for many young people in South Africa if we do not attend to the structural inequalities that are in place. Physical education doesn’t just offer health benefits but can act as a bridge to the doorway of sports. It’s not intended for the select few either as all learners need the opportunity to explore and develop their talents. Many sports specific skills are learnt through physical education lessons especially through fundamental movement skills and the development of physical literacy.

?

I cannot further underline the importance of developing a broad-based fundamental movement foundation. As its through these movements that sport specific skills are developed. If a learner can’t throw, they will be deprived of participating in activities such as baseball, cricket, rounders and softball. If a learner can’t swim they will not be able to participate water polo, competitive swimming, lifesaving and personal swimming. If a learner can’t run, they will not be participate in basketball, football or volleyball. We need to assist learners to master fundamental movement skills such as throwing, catching, jumping, diving, floating, splashing, climbing, skating, crawling and kicking if we are to add progression for sports specific skills. The best way to develop sports specific skills is through multisport clubs held throughout the year at schools especially in the years post the development of fundamental movement skills from grade R to grade 3.

?

?

South Africa needs an action plan, a road map that will chart the way forward for the next generation of children to come. We cannot afford to keep robbing young people of an opportunity for them to discover their talents. A physical education and school sports policy blueprint is required to attend to the following shortcomings of the current school sport and physical education framework:

1.???? We need to develop a movement culture in township, inner city and rural schools: we can’t just stand by and do nothing, hoping that the government will do something about it. All stakeholders need to raise their hands and come forward. Developing a culture of participating in sports is difficult but rewarding. The pro`s far outweigh the con`s, so we need to encourage young people to do Physical Education, as it is the only subject that will save your life when it comes to your health.

2.???? Identifying best practice in physical education, school sport and sports for development in South Africa: there are schools in South Africa which are doing a fantastic job in sports and physical education. We need to take a leaf from these schools to develop programmes in under resourced schools. We also need to incentivize these school to hire school sports coordinators who are skilled and are specialists in at least one sporting code. The most knowledgeable coaches of sports need to have access to young children at school to transfer coaching skills. Far to often under the current school sport policy a sport coach needs to have a SACE accreditation which results in them having to teach a school subject. Gone are the days where sports coordinators only needed a sport related degree alone like sport science. This creates a problem, because sometimes the best don’t want to teach academic subjects.

3.???? Amendments to the school sport policy and the creation of a national syllabus for PE and School sports : we need a national syllabus and rubric that everybody can work from. The school sport policy needs to be inclusive and encourage diversity to enable all learner to partake in school sport and physical education. Especially for marginalized learners and those with special needs. This rubric needs to be adaptable and innovative to stimulate learners to become physically literate.

4.???? Quality teacher training : currently physical education has become a module only at the majority of institutions in South Africa. As a subject specialization it is phased out with universities not teaching Physical education as a degree no more. Additionally, the Department of Basic Education. Needs to find innovative ways to ensure its 300,000 educators become trained in teaching extracurricular activities and quality PE.

5.???? Forming international partnerships: international partnerships through twin schools is great for knowledge sharing and the exchange of expertise. Lead country agencies like UNICEF can be used to broker deals with donor organizations that can assist in establishing learner exchange pathways and capacity of teacher training. Countries such as Brazil, which have a strong culture of physical education can be brought into the picture for the training and capacity development of our teachers in the most marginalized and under resourced schools.

6.???? PE becoming a stand alone subject: if South Africa ever aspires. To achieve the goals of UNESCO QPE then its essential that physical education becomes its own stand alone subject outside of the confinements of life orientation. Participating in Physical Education and sports provides learner with life skills such as character building, resilience and being on time.

?

7.???? What we can incorporate from abroad : what can we incorporate into the South African context through countries such as Brazil which have similar socio economic challenges like us. Can we establish collaborations with leading countries in the sports realm. Collaborations in the form of coach exchange, training and capacity development and financial support.

?

8.???? A Model for school sport & the involvement of international development agencies: The Department of Basic Education cannot attend to school sports alone, lead agencies such as the Department of Arts, Sport and Culture need to play their part. So to are international civil society organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF.

9.???? Having a lead country partner such as UNICEF advocating for QPE at national policy level alongside UNESCO. Without advocacy QPE will remain a distant dream.

10.? Adopt a school campaign : affluent schools can play their part in assisting less fortunate schools. Adopt a school campaign could be in the form of providing used sports equipment to the less fortunate school or skills transfer through coaches from affluent schools assisting learners in less resourced schools.

11.? Curriculum time allocation : Physical education needs learners to have time to acquire movement skills. Without the subject being a standalone learners will continue to be getting mediocre Physical Education lessons at under privileged schools.

12.? A teaching platform online should be created where teachers and learners can learn about technique and coaching drills. Furthermore a resource page on teaching fundamental movement skills and sports specific skills.

13.? Learners need access to municipal sports facilities at a reduced rate. This will aid the teaching process.

?If the suggestions of the QPE policy are adopted it can really streamline the work done by organizations in the school sport space by synchronising the work and partnerships of SRSA, DBE as well as the Civil Society Organizations. Amendments to the South African school sport act is crucial in ensuring all children have an opportunity to become technically proficient movement beings. The QPE program can potentially break inter generational stereo types of linking sport and physical education participation to specific race groups in certain physical activity domains. Furthermore, in the future we can create a movement that potentially leads to a career in sports.

?