MINISTER FOR Education Ruairí Quinn says schools are unable to provide the 30 minutes a day of physical activity recommended in the National Taskforce on Obesity.
Mr Quinn told the Dáil last week that it was “unrealistic” for schools to achieve the 30-minute daily minimum which the taskforce said was needed to fight child obesity.
The Minister cited a number of reasons why this was not possible, including the length of the school day and the pressure on time to cover other areas of the curriculum adequately.
Mr Quinn also pointed out that any changes to the length of the school day would require negotiation with the teacher unions, as well as significant additional resources.
He said there were limitations to the numbers that could use games and sports facilities in schools at any one time.
Mr Quinn also referred to the fact that primary school pupils have just half an hour for lunch and need to spend at least half that time eating a proper lunch.
Obesity has risen fast in recent decades. Currently, one in four men and one in five women is obese. One in five Irish teenagers is either obese or overweight.
The obesity taskforce published a comprehensive report on tackling the problem in 2005, but most of its recommendations have not been implemented.
Mr Quinn appeared to place the main responsibility for ensuring children are active on their parents, by pointing out that children spend just 20 per cent of their waking hours at school. “So their level of physical activity during the rest of the week is just as important,” he said.
A recent international report found that children in Ireland were doing well on physical activity, he said.
At primary level, the physical education programme introduced in 2005 is allocated one hour a week in the curriculum, though in many schools PE does not happen or is scaled down in the event of bad weather.
Second-level schools are required to provide physical education as part of the curriculum, though the minimum time is not prescribed.
The teacher hours allocated to the subject have to be registered on the school timetable.
The importance of healthy lifestyles and physical exercise is also featured as part of the social, personal and health education programmes at both primary and secondary levels, the Minister pointed out.
Mr Quinn, who was answering a Dáil question from Sinn Féin TD Sandra McLellan, said he believed a well-planned physical education programme had a vitally important role to play in a broad and balanced curriculum for primary and second level students.
But he pointed out that schools encouraged physical activity during the school day beyond the formal curriculum and played a major role in promoting the involvement of students in sport in the wider community.
“Sports organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Basketball Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland provide extensive opportunities for such participation,” Mr Quinn said.
