PT compulsory from new term

Physical training will be made compulsory from the next school term following the April school holidays, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said today.
He said that a circular in this regard will be sent to all schools and the school principals will be kept informed.
The Minister said that following religious observances in the morning, all school children will be asked to undergo physical training for 10 minutes.
He said that the purpose of this exercise is to ensure that the school system is used to promote a healthy child, the Education Ministry said.
In February the Education Ministry said that a new circular was being drafted on the conditions under which a school child can be included to take part in a sport on behalf of the school.
The Ministry had said that sport is an important aspect of the extracurricular activities approved in state schools.
However following recent incidents where some children had collapsed and died while taking part in sports, on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, officials from the Health Ministry, Education Ministry and the Sri Lanka Sports medical unit were engaged in discussions to formulate the new circular. ?(Colombo Gazette)