Sport is Crucial for Quality Education

Education is central to the achievement of all Millenium Development Goals and sport has a natural place in education, whether the approach used is formal and non-formal.

In schools physical education is a key component of a quality education and can be used to promote schooling among young people. Outside the classroom sport is for life and teaches basic values and life skills. It is also important for a holisitic development.

Sport is also a powerful vehicle for public education, while sporting events can effectively increase awareness and galvanize support and action around key issues.

Sport as a school for life

The skills learned through play, physical education and sport are foundational to the holisitic development of young people. These skills, such as cooperation and confidence, are essential for social cohesion and are carried throughout adult life.

Skills and values learned through sport

Cooperation Fairplay
Communication Sharing
Respect for the rules Self-esteem
Problem solving Trust
Understanding Honesty
Connection with others Self – respect
Leadership Tolerance
Respect for others Resilience
Value of effort Teamwork
How to win Discipline
How to lose Confidence
How to manage competion

Sport actively educates young people about the importance of certain key values, such as honesty, fairplay, respect for self and others, and adherence to the rules and respect for their importance.

It provides a forum for the youth to learn how to cope with competition, not only how to lose but also how to win. Sport is a way to build understanding for the value of common bonds.

For example, one benefit of encouraging traditional games is that they emphasise the importance of diversity, contribute to inclusion and help people understand their own identity and those of others in a global world.

Traditional sport and games are also usually lower cost in terms of facilities and equipment than common sport.

Sport, education and physical education

Physical education is an essential component of quality education and an integral part of life long learning. The neglect of physical education, with negative future impacts on public health and health budgets.

Physical education is the only subject in the curriculum that focuses specifically on the body. In doing so, it helps teach young people respect for the body—their own as well as others—and helps them to respond to many of the challenges faced by young people, including HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases, and the dangers of tobacco and drugs.

Providing students with the opportunity to play sport at school ensures that they receive proper education that addresses the body, mind and spirit. Physical education is an effective means of promoting physical activity among the youth. Given that rates of physical activity tend to decrease from adolescence. It is imperative that young people gain an appreciation of sport at school in order to ensure a lifelong active and healthy living.

Sport and social development

More than stimulating economic growth, effectively designed sport programmes strengthen basic human capabilities, create connections between individuals, and teach core values and life skills. They are a valuable tool to initiate social development and improve social cohesion, especially when implemented with young people.

Together, the benefits from such programmes provide powerful means to tackle social exclusion, rehabilitate child labourers and intergrate marginalized groups into their communities.

Crime

Factors that contribute to the youth turning to crime include the absence of positive role models, a lack of self discipline and boredom. Sport can tackle these causes of juvenile crime by helping disaffected youth make positive connections with adults and peers, by intergrating them into constructive activities within society and by providing useful activity for their time.

Gender equity

Sport can be an effective tool for empowering girls and women, given that they are often excluded from participating and enjoying the physical and psychosocial benefits offered by sport. By directly challenging and dispelling misperceptions about women's capabilities, intergrated sport programmes help to reduce discrimination and widen the role prescribed to women.