Classrooms have priority over PE halls, says Hanafin

The Government's priority was the provision of classrooms, although it wanted to also encourage young people to use school facilities for physical exercise (PE), Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said.

She added that in accordance with the rules and programme for secondary schools, all second-level schools should provide physical education as part of the curriculum.

"The syllabuses have been developed on the basis of a time allocation of two hours per week."

Ms Hanafin said that physical education was an important part of the school curriculum and that every child should get the opportunity to exercise at school.

"However, we are also conscious of the fact that children spend just 20 per cent of their waking hours at school and so their level of physical activity during the rest of the week is just as important."

Fine Gael spokeswoman Olwyn Enright said that if children had a poor standard of English, having spent 20 per cent of their time in school, they would not find it acceptable. The fact that children did not get enough exercise was similarly unacceptable.

She added that Fine Gael had surveyed 1,400 primary schools and found that 51 per cent had no indoor physical education facilities; 25 per cent had only a multipurpose room and 23 per cent had a sports hall.

Some 54 per cent of schools had a playing pitch, while 46 per cent did not.

Ms Hanafin said that, as in the case of the relationships and sexuality education programme, the time spent on physical education tended to lessen as classes approached examinations.

"The department's policy is to provide PE halls to schools that do not have such a facility and they are already part of the design for new schools, major renovations and extensions. However, the provision of schools in areas that have no school is the number one priority and this will continue to be the case."

She added that large schools, such as Castleknock Community College and Loreto Secondary School in Bray, had received the go-ahead to build PE halls.

Under the summer works scheme, schools had been able to upgrade outdoor and indoor facilities, she added.