Participation in sport promotes a healthy lifestyle
Point
Participation in sport promotes health. The effect on self-esteem and well-being as a product of sport can only be experienced by certain children if forced by their schools to first participate. A recent report to the European Parliament declared 'physical education is a springboard for involvement in sport and physical activities throughout life’[1]. Government is, or should be, concerned with the health of its citizens. Encouraging physical activity in the young through compulsory PE fights child obesity and contributes to forming lifelong habits of exercise. This doesn’t have to be through traditional team sports; increasingly schools are able to offer exercise in the form of swimming, gymnastics, dance, weight training, use of a multi-gym, aerobics, etc
[1] Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union. European Parliament
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Counterpoint
It is a red herring to say that PE makes any serious difference to people's health. There are plenty of more effective ways of ensuring a healthy population than pushing children round a freezing sports pitch once a week; not least would be addressing the disgusting diets our young have today, and encouraging walking or cycling to school rather than total reliance on the car. Both methods would involve promoting a healthy lifestyle without forcing the participation in unpopular physical education classes that do little for one's education.
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Physical education helps to forge skills that will prove invaluable in later life
Point
Physical education helps to forge character and the mutual respect required to succeed in an adult environment. Playing team sports builds character and encourages students to work with others, as they would be expected to do in most business or sporting environments. Sport teaches children how to win and lose with good grace and builds a strong school spirit through competition with other institutions. It is invaluable to imbue with children the delicate balance between a competitive rivalry that encourages effort and, on the other hand, losing the fairness and respect required to enjoy sport. It is often the experience of playing on a team together which builds the strongest friendships at school, which endure for years afterwards. As was noted in a report to the European Parliament, 'PE...helps children learn to respect and value their own bodies and abilities, and those of others'[1]. Compulsory physical education is the only means by which all children can be forced to appreciate such advantages.
[1]Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union. European Parliament.
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Counterpoint
Physical education undermines one's character as much as it strengthens and forges it. For every future athlete who grows in stature as he becomes comfortable in a team environment, there are a number of academic students who are forced weekly to cope with the brutality and criticisms of others more gifted at specific sports. Values like respect are not taught on a football field, any glance at a professional football match leads inexorably to that conclusion. Furthermore, learning about teamwork and co-operation no longer requires hours spent playing sport; they can be taught just as accurately and effectively in a classroom through music, drama, community projects, etc. without the need to encourage an ultra-competitive ethos.
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Compulsory physical education will improve national sporting achievement
Point
The quest for national sporting achievement begins in schools. If schools don't have compulsory PE, it is much harder to pick out, develop and equip athletes to represent the country on a wider stage. Even with a 'sports academy' model run along Australian lines, it's much easier to find suitable individuals with a full sports program in every school. In the UK seventy per cent of state-school students are dropping PE when it becomes optional; it is no surprise that up to 30% of its Olympic athletes are now privately-educated, where physical education is compulsory until the end of one's education[1]. State education is not just about aiding the individual it’s also about the state getting a good return on its investment – in a well-educated populace to drive business and entrepreneurialism etc. This applies equally in sports.
[1] Laing, A. (2010, February 2). Third of British 2012 Olympic Athletes privately educated. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
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Counterpoint
Schools aren't supposed to be about fostering achievers for the state – that smacks of Stalinism. Schools should be tailored to the individual – if the individual student doesn’t want to participate in sports, they shouldn’t have to. If we allowed such national aims to be considered in schools, would we consent to humiliation of those that did badly in maths lessons, to encourage their achievement in maths (and thus business skills?) Of course not. But we allow that in PE.
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Sports teams require the support of schools and the encouragement of physical education
Point
Without school support, sports will collapse. If compulsory physical education classes aren't in place, then team activities will end by sheer lack of numbers, no matter if several very talented individuals are at the school (or even potentially talented – they’ll never know without the program). New surveys in the United Kingdom have found that they expect to see a fall in sporting events provided in schools due to cost-cutting, despite the upcoming Olympics inspiring students to want to compete[1]. If voluntary take-up of sport in schools is too low, then schools will shut down PE programmes so that there is no choice at all. Not everyone is academic: why deprive those talented sports students of their one chance to shine? Athletes who lack academic prowess are required to stick at classes like maths even if it appears obvious their career path is in sport; why should mathematicians escape from their respective obligation to compete in sports?
[1] The Labour Party (2011, April 18). Competitive school sports expected to fall, survey reveals. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
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Counterpoint
Forcing children that don't want to play to make up teams in order to allow others to shine smacks of rigid education from a bygone era. Learning about teamwork and co-operation no longer requires hours spent playing sport; they can be taught just as accurately and effectively in a classroom with altogether more academic and conducive activities. In any case, in an increasingly litigious age, a compulsory rather than voluntary sports program is a liability. More and more schools are avoiding the very team games (e.g. rugby, soccer, hockey, football) to the (realistic) fear of lawsuits when injuries and disputes occur.
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Schools can punish students who do not participate in the classes with further PE lessons
Point
Compulsory PE lessons can be treated in the same manner an ordinary educational class is treated; if the student refuses to participate and therefore does not do their work, they are punished with extra work of that same class. In this case, that would necessitate added physical education exercises at a later date or immediately after the class. The excuse that the student does not wish to participate in the class should be seen as no different to if it were stated during a maths or English class, where it would not be accepted. The fact that physical education is qualitatively different to those classes is irrespective; once deemed a compulsory subject, and therefore beneficial, it must be accepted and completed.
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Counterpoint
The intention of advocating a healthy lifestyle and sports is lost if there is a punishment attached to the class. Furthermore, to expect all students to participate in a class that is so overtly embarrassing to the weaker athletes is almost state-sanctioned bullying. In a maths class, the working and answers of the weakest students are not paraded in front of the class for all to see, and if they try to stop this, kept behind for extra work. It is demonstrably unfair to ask students, fragile about their appearance as it is, to compete physically with classmates. It should be encouraged, but maintain voluntary for those who wish to do so. The others can still be taught about healthy living and exercise without being dragged into physical exertion.
Individuals should have the right to control their own bodies
We acknowledge the right of individuals (or their parents) to control their own bodies – when they have an operation, where they go, what they do. Why is this any different?
This discussion should be held in the real world: students actually aren’t compelled to attend PE classes, as ‘sick notes’ are produced with alarming regularity by parents complicit in their child’s wish to avoid this lesson. The aim of ‘compulsory PE’ isn’t being fulfilled at present in any case, and greater efforts to enforce it will only result in more deceit, or children missing school for the entire day – or, in the most extreme cases, being withdrawn from state education by parents unwilling to allow their children to be forced into something they don’t wish to do. Instead, we should simply abandon the whole exercise and allow PE to become voluntary. The UNESCO charter stresses the right to PE, and was addressed to nations that failed to provide it at all – it was not meant to suggest that individuals should be compelled to do it in nations that do[1].
[1] UNESCO. (1945, November 16). Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
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Counterpoint
If not forced to exercise in youth, many will never think to do it in adulthood. This is no idle q
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