It is always up for discussion whether or not physical education is a mandatory subject and lessons or if it can be adapted into an elective. The traditional topic of class-based learning, however, I know some prefer to have this route but I think it is very important to continue with making PE compulsory.
So it is not surprising that some believe that sports should be voluntary. The pressure on students to produce high levels of attainment in subjects like Science and Mathematics in order to meet the expectation of securing a good job is great today. The student who isn’t the sportsy type may think that he’s wasting time on a sports field when he should be working on his academic work or studying for a test. From this perspective, compulsory PE looks like an irrelevant activity and time waster for the students’ future.
But reading studies on the benefits of physical education as an afterthought, means to be blind to the world today. Most children report spending a significant amount of time in front of a screen and have a leann lifestyle. They lack a guaranteed space for exercise, a factor that’s important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, outside of the schools. More substantial, it seems, is the fact that exercise is a fuel for brain work. Taking breaks helps to get your focus, enhance memory, and help lower stress levels, which can have a positive impact on schoolwork.
To me school is not just a factory, producing academic machines. It is undeniable that there is a correlation between mind and body; a healthy mind needs a healthy body to perform optimally and a healthy body needs a healthy mind to work optimally. While it is acceptable to have grades, however, making PE something that is not so important is not a hygienic thing to do – physical and mental development/training must go hand-in-hand.