The History Behind Physical Education On The Global Level

The goal for PE is a universal one, as everyone wants their children to be happy and healthy. However, the decision to incorporate PE classes into everyday curriculum isn’t as easy as it may seem. While the United States educational system struggles to find the optimal balance of physical education and core academic subjects, the rest of the world is faced with several identical and also some vastly differing problems with physical education programs.

In comparison to the rest of the world, sports are not popular in India. The Indian mentality puts a much bigger focus on academics, with very little priority put into PE and recreational activities. A lack of properly qualified teachers and facilities comes as a result from that. Indian society simply can’t alter its perception of PE as a non-educational activity. Indian women are also faced with prejudice, as they are often discouraged from participating in PE because of how it will allegedly alter their bodies to be “unfeminine”.

The problems in physical education that Pakistan faces are in parallel to the India situation. Pakistan shares the same “non-educational activity” mentality that India has, thus causing their PE programs to fall in derelict. Physical education development also has a unique problem in Pakistan, as cultural and religious customs prevent women from being able to participate in sports and physical activities.

In South Africa, an entirely different problem exists in the physical education programs. Due to the legally established racial segregation of apartheid that was in place until 1994, the South African PE programs are vastly differing from one another. White schools have the adequate tools, facilities, and teachers to provide students with a successful PE program, while black schools lack even the most basic of necessities. As with many other countries, the PE programs are undervalued in comparison to the rest of the curriculum.

The educational system in Britain faced a very similar situation to the one in the United States. A survey completed by the Sports and Physical Education Network (SPEN) has found that government places pressure on the children to perform well academically, while hampering their physical development. In 1999, SPEN found that half a million hours of PE class were cut from the year before. Such major cuts are devastating blows to the growth and expansion of PE programs.

Physical education programs all around the world are facing the same problem, as the importance of a successful PE program is put far under the success of the academic programs. Many of the decision makers don’t seem to realize the benefits of a successful PE program. Culturally, it just seems as though physical education classes lack the respect that they so desperately need in order to improve and grow. Without well established PE programs, the only thing that can result from it is more obesity. Obesity is a direct cause of health problems, thus creating an increased cost to the general populous with increased medical care costs. Properly executed PE programs give children the skills and knowledge that they need in order to remain fit and healthy for the rest of their lives, cutting these programs for the sake of cost or time restrictions can only hurt the upbringing of future generations.

What's The Current Situation On The Global Level?

Obesity isn't just growing problem in the United States, but a problem growing around the world. From Africa to South America, Physical Education programs differ from each other, but have one goal in common, to keep the children of the world healthy, fit and obese free for life.

Africa:
Like the United States, Africa has a shortage in Physical Education teachers. To make up for this shortage of teachers Africa has a program called "Active Education". This program is made to aid the schools of Africa in teaching their children the importance of Physical Education.
Many organizations from outside of Africa has come in and helped Africa's children become more active. Stated in the "International Year of Sport and Physical Education Final Report", the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) created nature and sports camps for the children in Nairobi. Workshops were also created in other ares in Africa. Also stated in the report, many non-governmental organizations are actively promoting Physical Education all over Africa.

Asia:
Stated on the China Education and Research Network, it is said in China, students must attend 2 or 3 hours of Physical Education class per week. In some schools students must attend a Physical Education course every day. If a student does not attend at least two-thirds of the total amount of class hours in a given semester, the student will not be given a final grade and will not qualify for reaching the National Standards for PE Qualification. For graduation, the student will receive a learning certificate which would not allow the student to qualify for higher education programs.
The Physical Education programs in China focus on generating students' interest in sports. The programs want to promote a basis for a life time of physical fitness and training, as well as teach the students the importance of health and sanitation habits.

Australia:
In 2005, Australia created many public awareness activities that raise the issue of Physical Health as a result of the "International Year of Sport and Physical Education". An example of one of these activities is the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. This program promoted the children of Australia to be more active as well as to teach the values of fair play, peaceful competition and the pursuit of excellence.
In an article, "Australia's obesity crisis points to a question of how PE is taught," it states that Australia's rising obesity percentage may be due to a lack in Physical Education. The article says that when students leave school, unless a student excels in a sport or physical activity, they'll continue to practice it in the future. Students need to be taught why physical activity is important, like what strategies can be used outside of just the school environment and how to get involved in other activities.

Europe:
Europe has formed an association called the "European Physical Education Association" (EUPEA). This association has helped created standards that the children of Europe must follow. An example of a standard the children must complete is to have at least 3 weekly lessons about Physical Education. European teachers must also create a basic evaluation of the children's progress.
The International Year of Sport and Physical Education Final Report stated that Europe funds programs and agencies that help organize events that are aimed at the younger generation that will help promote Physical Education and a more peaceful society.

North/South America:
During the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, Canada held hundreds of events and celebration promoting health and physical education. Some of these events hosted by the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) focused on the physical education and practice for women and girls.
Canada also created "A Global Vision for School Physical Education". This "vision" is to see a world where every child has the Physical Education curriculum to live a healthy life. This vision is to promote physical fitness and to prevent children from living unhealthy lives.
In South America, various countries planned activities that focused on public-awareness activities, workshops, and international forums. Some also created tournaments called "Football for peace" as well as "26 hours of athletics".

The problem of obesity needs to stop here. The Physical Education programs all over the world need to evolve, to prevent the children of our future from becoming obese.

What Should Be Done On The Global Level?

As our group researches the importance of physical education in the Hawaii and the United States, we also look at the levels of physical education classes in other countries. All over the globe, children are learned physical activity skills that will hopefully help their health along with the people around them. Unfortunately, there are over 40 million children who do not have physical education programs in their schools. In 1995, the “Global Vision for School Physical Education” was created in Canada to help improve the dismal conditions that PE programs were in around the world. This document was intended to set guidelines as to what the standards of PE programs around the world should be. The creators of this document believed that if every country were to follow these basics, the world’s health and education as a whole would benefit.

China is also facing the same problems that the United States has. With the popularity of Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, and other fast food restaurants growing, the problem of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles has begun to plague China. Recently in 2007, The Chinese Ministry of Education developed a dance program to integrate into their PE classes. Some find it effective while others disagree. One teacher in Beijing has said, “Running and calisthenics are a more effective way to lose weight. Our school needs to hire a special teacher to teach dancing, and it will take up a lot of time”. Although health of Chinese is becoming worse, it is encouraging to see that the Government has already experimented with different programs in effort to alleviate the problem. Opportunity cost is one economic term that relates a lot to the situation in China. Spending money on hiring dance teachers or developing programs centered more on conventional activities such as running and sports are both opportunity costs because money is used on dance programs that have been proved not very successful. One implication would be that if China continues with their efforts to improve PE programs, the obesity trouble would be under control.
In Europe, efforts to improve the status of their PE system are in full force. The “European Physical Education Association” was created in 1991 to promote the importance of PE in Europe. PE programs have been required for all schools making classes required three times a week and everyday for elementary school students. The EUPEA understands that all countries have a different way of approaching PE programs which is why is it merely just a basic outline of rules that should be followed in order to ensure all countries have some sort of PE programs. EUPEA also makes sure there are qualified teachers to teach the programs. This association is an ideal example of what every country or group of counties should strive for. If struggling countries could organize a group dedicated to run PE programs, the number of young children without physical education would decrease dramatically. You can find more about EUPEA and ways to contact them by clicking here.
Most European countries and some Asian countries seem to be on the right track when it comes to PE. Not only have these countries created strong foundations to build off of, but they have also been able to experiment and learn from their mistakes. Third world countries still have no foundation to build off of. If first world countries such as the United States could help create a starting program to expose countries to the idea of PE, it could help those countries jump start into a healthy future.

What Can Be Done On The Global Level?

The most important thing that you can do to help with the Physical Education problems on a global level, is by getting involved in the programs that are out there, and supporting them. Each country or geographical region has programs to help people get active, and live healthy lifestyles.

MIDDLE EAST: In the Middle East, you can get involved in the National Physical Education weeks they’ve been holding in Israel, which included distributing posters to schools which remind the students to get active. Ways of getting involved can be through volunteer work or by monetary donations. But if you happen to be in Morocco, instead of Israel, they have organized activities supporting the slogan “Sport for all, together for a better world” teaching children that by getting active, and preventing obesity will create a better world for them to grow up in.

SOUTH AMERICA: South America does not have as many options for you to get involved in, although Brazil has a wonderful opportunity of making a large difference in the community, by having a university where people can get Bachelor’s degrees in Physical Education related fields. The Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil is a great place for you to make a difference on a global scale. By studying in another country, you will be able to make a difference there as you can volunteer at local schools, and get involved with programs there as well. If you are interested in this you can contact the University about enrolling.

AFRICA: Some of Africa’s efforts to encourage Physical Education involve mass-participation running and walking races in Cameroon and India. By participating in these runs, helping to organize them, or encouraging others to participate it is helping to raise awareness. Also you are contributing to the solution because as you get involved, you are becoming one less person in the path of obesity, and unhealthy, unfit living.

AUSTRALIA: Similar to the university in Brazil, Australia also has programs for degrees in Physical Education at the University of South Australia. It is a large commitment to decide to study and receive a degree in Physical Education, but similar to the saying, “If you get the man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime,” you would have one of the largest possible impacts on the children effected by the lack of attention to this issue. The University of South Australia website has infotmation of a list of their programs, and how to enroll if you are interested.


EUROPE: Europe's efforts on maintaining an acceptable level of Physical Education are quite large as they are checked by the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA) . You could get involved with the EUPEA by becoming a Physical Education teacher in Europe and following the guidelines, as well as by helping to follow some of the specified requirements, such as exercising about three times a week. As well as helping follow the EUPEA standards, or becoming a Physical Education teacher in Europe, you could also support some of the programs and special events that the United Nations funds in Albania, Armenia, Belarus and Bulgaria to promote healthy living, and a physically fit lifestyle as well.

It may seem kind of intimidating when you think about trying to help solve the world’s problems with obesity and Physical Education, but it isn’t something that can be accomplished by one person. By taking small steps, and branching out of your hometown to go teach Physical Education in Australia, or to go to Brazil to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, you are helping on a global scale.

The History Behind Physical Education On The National Level

Physical education has long been a part of the United State’s curriculum. It was first put into use by Round Hill School in the 1820’s. It was originally intended for males; however, it was eventually revised to include female participation. In the late 1800’s, the American mentality of PE was focused on physical training and body development. However, the focus has since changed to providing students with a way to gain the knowledge, attitude, and skills that they need in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. School has been contributed as a major setting for increasing physical activity in adolescents.

Educators have been faced with an opportunity cost of losing some academic class time if they were to enforce more PE class time. They’ve almost consistently chosen to prevent such a situation from happening. In doing so, the PE requirements have been continuously shrinking. It has been estimated that median active time for a high school student averages about 2 minutes a day, due to the fact that many high schools only require one or two years of PE. Since the 1990’s, the amount of physical activity from PE has been fairly inadequate. Despite this, nothing has been changed for the better. It has only gotten worse since then.

Despite educator’s efforts, the proportion of students that attended a PE class daily declined by a significant amount during 1991-1995. That proportion hasn’t changed during 1995-2003. To make matters even worse, only 39.2% of students were physically active during their PE classes. In fact, one study in a Texas county found that elementary students performed vigorous activity for only 3 minutes and 24 seconds out of a 40 minute class. Such statistics have helped contribute to the adolescent obesity rate that has tripled since the 1980’s, from 5% to 15% in 2000.

The lack of quality PE classes in public schools seems to have been a major reason for the increase in adolescent obesity. A growth in obesity comes with an increased rate in health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Consequently, this obviously comes with higher medical costs. Without a proper emphasis and education of physical health, the students are likely to continue living with unhealthy lifestyles.

Physical Edcuation just simply isn’t held with such a high regard in comparison to other classes. George Graham, a physical education professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, says:

“Principals know what good quality P.E. is, but they don't care about the total child. They care only about the child's head. Principals know they are judged on test scores, but is that ultimately in the best interest of youngsters?”

Eliminating PE is not a viable option. It’s likely that even by getting rid of PE, test scores won’t go up. The possible positives from removing PE from the curriculum simply don’t compare to the negatives. It would be foolish to carry on this way.

What's The Current Situation On The National Level?

Over the last couple of years a growing epidemic has hit the United States by storm, obesity. It has affected millions of people living in the country. Stated in an article found in Oxford Journals, 66% of adults are overweight or obese, while 16% of children are overweight. These percentages have rapidly increased over the last decade and will majorly affect us in the future if we don't do anything about it. Much of this problem is due to a lack of physical activity or physical education at a younger age. This will help children become aware of the problems of being overweight or obese, and hopefully in the end the children will do everything in their power to stay healthy and fit.

"Schools Found Improving on Nutrition and Fitness," written in October of 2007, states that schools over the nation have increased the required hours of physical activity/physical education and recess as well as asking that physical educators have at least an undergraduate training. With that change in hours and faculty, schools have changed their menu in their cafeterias, banning junk foods and adding the amount of healthy foods offered. This article also states that in 2000 only 83% of elementary school districts offered physical education, but now it's up to 93%, a 10% increase.


The Shape of the Nation Report 2006, is a report formed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education every year which gives us updates of the status of physical education in the United States. The report states, 8% of elementary schools, 6.4% of middle/junior high schools, and 5.8% of high schools provide daily physical education for their students. The percentage of students that attend physical education classes have decreased from 42% to 28% from 1991 to 2003 respectfully, many schools don't even offer physical education courses for their students to take. This report is gives very detailed information about each state and what their policies and practices are for physical education.



The American Heart Association cares a great deal about the health of the United States' population. They hold millions of programs across the United States to promote health and fitness, as well as donate money to those who are in need. The American Heart Association released a statistical sourcebook called, "A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States." This book holds many statistics about the growing obesity problem in the United States, including economic connections and physical education in schools. Lower income housing is said to cause a higher obesity rate, as well as women who have a lower income rate. Moving from high poverty areas to low poverty areas decrease the percentage of obesity, the availability of outdoor places to engage in physical activity results when moving, making it easier for families/people to stay active. Lower parental education is related to a lower amount of physical education in certain ethnicities. The American Hearth Association says to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity for the majority of the week, but many children aren't able to meet that expectation because of academic programs or the children are simply engaged in other activities such as watching television or playing on a game system. Six out of ten children ages 6-13 don't participate in any organized sports/physical activity program outside of school, much of this is due to their parents, lower income levels and lack in education.



Overall the rapid rise of obesity is not only due to the consumption of fast foods and lack in healthy foods, much of it is the lack in physical education and physical activity. Children at a young age need to be taught how to live healthy lives in order for them to start now while their habits aren't etched in stone, we as older teens and adults need to promote health and fitness to the younger generation by setting a good example. Physical education today is slowly growing, but it's not in a place we would like it to be. Slowly the government is realizing the health of the children in the United States is in the balance and their lives are at stake if they don't do anything about the physical education programs in schools.

What Should Be Done On The National Level?

Bridging the gap between what should be done and what needs to be done with physical education in schools is important for nation to improve overall health and maintain a high quality of living. The United States’ government needs to ensure that every child in the public school system is being exposed to quality Physical Education programs which will benefit their way of living by gaining knowledge about how to engage in physical activity for the rest of their lives. Currently there are two national objectives for 2010 that the government has made. One being to increase the amount of children who participate daily in school PE to at least 50%, and the other for at least 50% of kid to be physically active for at least half of the time while in PE class.

The government has also made temporary changes to see if the improvement would help. They have attempted to see the results of having children being enrolled in PE classes, attending PE classes daily and being physically active with at least twenty minutes of physical activity. With these changes and goals being made, the government is on the right track to improve the physical education for children. Making these temporary changes permanent would create a strong foundation for the PE programs around the nation and allow the government to make changes to further improve the program.

One of the economic issues related to physical education on a national level is the government spending distribution. Currently, the government spends the majority of its money on the department of defense, health care, and pensions. In the 2007 fiscal year, the government spent only one sixth of the amount it spent for defense alone. The government is decreasing the amount of money given to education each year. They are leaving it up to state and local spending to primarily fund education. Although our country is at war, the government should reanalyze the amount of money given to each department and not leave education out for the state to fund on their own. With the increase in funds given to education, the PE programs could improve by gaining more teachers and higher pay. It could also help improve facilities and programs that would help each student’s overall experience in PE programs which would lead to an improved attitude towards being physically active in life.

If no improvements are made to improve PE programs nationwide, the nation’s already declining health would worsen. With Americans becoming more obese and living a fast food lifestyle with no physical activity, this could lead to a health care disaster in the future. With health care costs rising, more Americans are susceptible to health care problems if they are unhealthy and overweight. If the nation’s health continues to become worse, health care rates will rise and the amount of government funding given to health care would have to increase.

If you support the effort to help improve physical education programs throughout the nation, you should make your voice heard be contacting the department of education. Everyone’s voice makes a difference and the first step to improvement is identifying the problems.