The balance between physical education and academic subjects has been a long-standing debate in education for school-age children. Some believe that physical education should be part of the curriculum for children of all ages, while others claim that time would be more well spent on academic subjects only.
Those who believe that physical education should be included in school may argue physical health is one of the essential aspect in child development and growth, thus the subject should be held with the same regard as the academic subjects. Moreover, with the rise of digital technology, the current generation of children are more inclined to engage in indoor activity outside of school and spend much less time in physical activity or outdoor playtime, compared to the older generation of children. As such, the only way to guarantee that students get enough exercise would be through increasing the time spent in physical education class in school curriculum.
Others who believe academic subjects should be the main focus may claim that physical education can be received outside of school time instead. To them, children often do not have enough time to cover all aspects of the curriculum in academic subjects since their time in school everyday is already limited. Skills such as language and mathematics are more useful in the long run since they have a life-long usage and can applied professionally, while sports and physical training are more likely to become a hobby instead.
I believe that physical education and other academic subjects should share an equal importance. There is a worrying trend that society as a whole, adults and children alike, does not receive enough physical exercise especially in the more recent years. Physical education should be included in the school curriculum to ensure wholistic development in children. However, a balance should be made to ensure that the time spent in academic subjects is sufficient to cover the curriculum.