Physical Education (PE) is an essential part of education hence contributing significantly to fulfilling the needs of students in their physical health, mental health and emotional health. However, in the UAE, many schools include physical education in their curriculum. Moreover, the government encourages this greatly due to their belief that the youth should live a healthy lifestyle. 

Let’s take a look at the role of PE in schools in UAE, government initiatives in PE, and how students and parents can obtain the PE resources in school.

Understanding Physical Education Requirements in UAE Schools

Physical education is a part of the UAE schools learning curriculum and the Ministry of Education has laid down certain guidelines that have to be followed for providing adequate number of hours for physical activities and education on health and fitness.

Curriculum Standards

The emphases of physical education lessons that are provided to students in the United Arab Emirates are focused on the enhancement of students’ motor skills, acquisition of meaningful knowledge about health-related issues, and recognition of the significance of physical activity. It contains different kinds of activities in terms of sports, fitness as well as health issues which are relevant to the certain age and developmental level of students. There are legal provisions which stipulate the number of hours to be dedicated for physical education in schools so children can practise physical activities on a regular basis.

Assessment and Evaluation

The students are evaluated in PE participation and accomplishment in developing skills while following health related fitness knowledge. These assessment criteria are arrived at with the intent of ensuring that the children are not compared based on the scores of athletic ability only but rather some aspects of assessment such as effort, and improvement. This means that every learner is active and tries to do his/her best in physical classes in physical education.

Integration with Other Subjects

In some schools Physical Education is taught together with Science and Health Education to ensure that the learners acquire and understand the KSAOs optimally. Such integration makes student interrelate between physical exercise and general wellness with a view of promoting physical health and fitness.

Government Programs Supporting PE in Schools

In supporting physical education the government of the UAE has come up with several programs and activities to encourage learners to embrace physical activity in their daily lives.

UAE National Sports Day

The UAE National Sports Day is an annual event held in order to enhance awareness for sports and physical activities and all the schools, communities, organisations, etc. in the country are participating regularly. This day is to draw awareness for the necessity to have a healthy body and for students to participate in various physical activities including conventional games and contemporary activities.

National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031

In a similar context, the UAE’s overall strategy of enhancing the health of the population is implemented through the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031, in which education and physical education in particular have a significant place. This includes activities meant to enhance the current ACHPER Health and Physical Education curriculum with directing students towards physical activities which addresses the problem of obesity and other related health complications in students as well as the population.

School Health Program

Some of the activities conducted by the School Health Program include the promotion of education by the Ministry of Health and Prevention otherwise known as MOHAP. They have routine health assessments, approved counselling on diet, and encouragement of physical exercise. Various schools that take part in this program always have extraneous PE facilities and provisions for the improvement of learners’ health.

Active Schools Initiative

The Active Schools Initiative is aimed at the generation of increased potential of schools’ to provide practice of Physical Education across school time tables. This encourages movement in and out of services through active breaks, out of school hours sport and fitness as well as classroom physical breaks that are within the school day.

Accessing School Fitness Resources

The current study aimed at identifying the different fitness resources available in the schools in the UAE and physical education and well being. Here’s how students and parents can access these resources.

School Sports Facilities

About 95% of the schools in the UAE provide sport facilities including gymnasiums, swimming pools, football field, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. These installations are utilised during activities that take place in the course of physical education lessons , and mostly can be accessed by students during free periods, in the evenings, at the weekends, and after school, as well as during other co-curricular activities . Parents can check with their children if such facilities are available and also make it a point that the children use these.

Extracurricular Sports Programs

A lot of schools have available sporting activities for students such as; team sports, martial arts, dancing, and fitness clubs. These programs afford the students with extra time to be occupied, appropriately develop certain skills and to participate in team activities. Extracurricular activity particularly in sports may be beneficial in increasing the level of fitness among the student as well as helps in the social growth of the student.

Fitness Challenges and Competitions

In many schools people get engaged in fitness battles and competitions between schools and it challenges the children most of the time to perform their best in sporting activities. Track and field sessions, swimming carnivals and team sports of all kinds or interschool, inter-house or inter-club competitions fall under this category. It can prepare them with challenges that they can face with their confidence and also feel the spirit of togetherness in competition events.

Health and Wellness Workshops

There are health and wellness workshops, which are a part of PE curriculum or are organised separately in some of the schools. The information disseminated at these workshops includes what to eat and avoid, what is good for the mind and the body, and the advantages of exercise. These workshops can be taken by parents and students, so that they get to understand how they can promote healthy living.

Physical education in UAE schools is one of the core areas of learning as it focuses on the physical well being of the students throughout their lives. A proper curriculum, governmental support, and school facilities help to develop the proper attitude to health and physical activities among students. PE and accessible school fitness resources alongside activities outside school offer a strong foundation for students’ physical, mental, and emotional health. A parent has to oversee and help the child to make the best out of the physical education program allocated to him or her.