| UNESCO calls on countries to invest far more in physical education |
| A new UNESCO report shows that the majority of the world’s schoolchildren still do not have access to the minimum required physical education. On Wednesday, Audrey Azoulay invited sports ministers, athletes and educators to UNESCO’s headquarters to work towards increasing investment in this area. The outcome of these discussions will feed into the Summit of Heads of State and Government organized by France and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday. Two-thirds of secondary school pupils and more than half of primary school pupils worldwide do not get taught the minimum weekly amount of physical education, according to the first-ever Global Status Report on Quality Physical Education published on Wednesday by UNESCO. In addition, two-thirds of pupils with disabilities are deprived of any physical education. Physical education is a worthwhile investment: it not only improves pupils’ health, but also their academic performance and personal development. Yet it is still often treated as a lesser subject. UNESCO is calling on its 194 Member States to make it a priority subject and to allocate the necessary time, human resources and budget to it’, said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. |
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