“A healthy mind in a healthy body.” The saying is famous but does it really apply to our schools? Although all teachers and pedagogues are unanimous about the necessity of practising sport at school, a “sports culture” does not really exist in most schools. “It is a well-known fact that the education system in Mauritius favours the academic side and leaves little room for sport and culture in general,” the rector of Saint Esprit College, Jacques Malié, comments.

Physical education (PE) is part of the curriculum until Form III but Jacques Malié wonders whether “one can really speak of teaching” as far as sport is concerned. “In many colleges, these classes are reduced to ‘taking a ball and playing with it’,” he points out. Although the very fact of “going to play” with a ball might be positive in itself – as it allows the child to relax – the school should make sure that it offers a real sports programme for the integral development of every child.

Basically, the main problem concerning sport starts at the primary level. “Primary schools are supposed to give movement education classes to all pupils but, when I see some of the girls in Form I, I must admit I have my doubts,” states Christine Antoine, PE teacher at Loreto College Quatre-Bornes. If pupils do not develop all their motor capacities between five and eight years old and only start at secondary level, it means they have lost many years. “At 11 or 12 years old, the youngsters become pre-adolescents and face physiological changes. It is extremely difficult for them to acquire basic motor capacities at the same time.”

But, more importantly, many children are not interested in sport if they have not been exposed to it at a younger age. “At 11 years old, pupils are already aware of what they like and dislike. If they have not been in contact with sport at school or at home, they will not develop a passion for it,” explains the PE teacher. The rector of Saint Esprit College – which has a strong sports culture – goes further. “A number of pupils can’t adapt to our system because they arrive at school with no basics in sports nor any practice, as these do not exist at primary level.”

It is then up to PE teachers and the school in general to make pupils aware of the importance of sports. At Saint Esprit, for instance, he goes on: “We do our best to motivate and encourage pupils. Besides the PE classes, we set up training schools in football and athletics a number of years ago.” At Loreto College Quatre-Bornes, “we try and explain to pupils why sport is important for them”, adds Christine Antoine.

In fact, several studies have shown that sports classes not only positively influence the level of participation in preceding and following lessons but the entire school day. Hence, regular sports classes are necessary not only to ensure the learning of soft skills but also to ensure the success of other classes. “Pupils in our prevocational classes, who have failed their CPE, have discovered through sports a real identity, a sense of responsibility and self-esteem. Some of these pupils now practise sport at the national level,” comments Jacques Malié.

Tolerance and team spirit</B>