The Auditor General has expressed concern about the high rate of Maltese children and young people who are either obese or overweight and made a number of recommendations including the development of a single consolidated delivery plan outlining how PE, sport and physical activity in schools could be increased and improved.
He said the full implementation of this plan would require strong leadership, commitment of resources, a gradual culture shift, and effective coordination among the different partners involved in this sector.
A performance audit on physical education and sport in state primary and secondary schools, laid on the Table of the House by Mr Speaker Michael Frendo, pointed out that schools presented unique opportunities to provide time, facilities and guidance for children and adolescents to actively participate in physical education (PE) and sport activities.
The National Minimum Curriculum defines PE and sport as a basic subject to be taught in all schools at compulsory educational levels.
The Auditor General said the government had indicated through a number of channels its commitment to improve the quality, delivery and frequency of these activities in schools. The report concluded that good progress had been made in state primary and secondary schools particularly following the appointment of an education officer for physical education to monitor delivery in schools, and the establishment of a Sport Promotion Unit within the Malta Sports Council (KMS) to organise physical and sport activities during school hours. Complementary programmes outside school hours were also offered by the council. Nonetheless, a number of issues still needed to be addressed.
In state primary schools, the teaching of PE was being mainly carried out by peripatetic teachers with few class teachers holding additional PE lessons. Consequently, in many primary schools, fewer lessons were found to be held than the four 30-minute weekly sessions recommended by the Department for Curriculum Management and e-Learning.
In secondary schools, although lessons are being held regularly as determined by the Education Authorities, the number of PE lessons decrease in higher years.
Investment in new sport facilities and equipment had led to significant improvements in certain state schools. At the same time, serious limitations persisted in a number of other schools with regard to the suitability, maintenance and availability of facilities, particularly in indoor areas.
The NAO report presented a number of recommendations including the development of a single consolidated delivery plan outlining how PE, sport and physical activity in schools could be increased and improved.