Physical well-being of our pupils, key to their academic excellence - School Proprietress

The proprietress of a private school at Asofan in the Greater Accra region has stressed the need for schools in the country, especially those in the basic cycle, to purposively encourage the culture of fitness among their pupils while they ensure their academic excellence.

Mrs Agnes Opokua, the founder and co-director of Harlem International School, made this appeal when she spoke to pressmen on Wednesday, January 24, the last day of a weeklong fitness programme organised for pupils of her school.

The 7-day programme, which was held to provide the pupils with in-depth knowledge in physical education, was organised by the school in collaboration with the Global Youthfit Project, a nonprofit children’s fitness organisation based in New York (US).

According to the Director of the school, childhood obesity and health problems among children, which mostly extend to their adult years, are as a result of lack of proper, holistic physical education in schools.

She noted that not only would good exercise help enhance the mental and physical development of children, but also mould them into healthy adults.

“When children are taught proper fitness education in their formative years, they would certainly grow up as healthy adults, as they would stick to the practice throughout their lives”, Mrs Agnes Opokua maintained.

In addition to classroom instructions in Physical Education, the children were also taken through fitness drills including plyometrics, lower body and core stability, balance and coordination, speed and agility etc.

The Assistant Director and PTA Chairman of the school, Rev. Edward Addison, expressed elation at the programme, saying that the Physical Education currently taught in schools must be fully developed beyond the basics.

“This programme, unlike the usual Physical Education, goes beyond the basics. The programme was thorough and has given us advanced knowledge in fitness education. This will adequately benefit the children, especially in their academics”, he expressed.

Ms Rita Ann Rackwitz, the President of the Global Youthfit Project, reiterated the importance of fitness to children’s wellbeing, saying it would not only prevent health problems in their formative years but also in their adult lives.

“We came into the country to provide the kids with a fitness programme that is basically aimed at reducing injuries and optimizing their health”, she indicated.

She added: “We have worked with the kids over the past week taking them through different exercise setups to deepen their knowledge in fitness education”

Ms Rackwitz, a Certified Paediatric Nurse practitioner, said her organisation focuses on providing fitness education to children as a way of instilling in them the practice of healthy living.

Don’t overstuff your backpacks

Ms Rackwitz has meanwhile advised children not to needlessly overload their school rucksacks as so doing could cause serious problems to their spine.

She said the weight of the backpack should not be more than a fifth (5th) of the overall weight of the child. She admonished children not to strap the backpacks on one shoulder as this affects posture and causes the spine to lose its cartilage, making it become rigid.

Ms Rackwitz advised parents and teachers to supervise the amount of load their wards and pupils carry on their backs to school.

The healthcare professional has also advocated for schools in the country to have lockers for their pupils to store their learning materials rather than carry them on their backs.