Boost Education with Sports: Integrate Athletics into the School Curriculum

Physical education (sports) is a co-curricular activity at the primary level. It is not examinable, and teachers teach it without hands-on experience in talent identification and development, or sports.

At the secondary level, particularly at the O’ level from Senior 1 to Senior 4, sports are incorporated into the bridged curriculum under Physical Education, which usually involves both physical and theoretical classes and is examinable by Uneb. At this level, Physical Education is taught by teachers with an educational background in sports sciences. While they are well-versed in the theoretical aspects of sports, they often lack practical experience in various sports fields.

As a result, students are mainly equipped with theoretical knowledge, leaving out the practical aspects of sports that are essential for talent identification, development, and career growth. Moreover, many schools lack adequate equipment and sports facilities for practical sessions. Although the Ministry of Education and Sports plans to incorporate Physical Education into the A’ level curriculum, students who studied PE at O’ level cannot continue it at A’ level due to the absence of a formal PE curriculum.

Further due to a limited number of sports courses at the university level, athletes often enroll in unrelated professional courses and are expected to balance academics with intensive athletic training. This leads to conflicts between study schedules and competition timetables, forcing many athletes to abandon one career or struggle to excel in both. Even after graduation, athletes face challenges in maintaining both jobs in the workforce, which often proves unsustainable.

Additionally, upon retirement from active sports, athletes who did not pursue further careers during their active years, despite having the experience and skills to teach and mentor, often find themselves without professional opportunities to transition into school teaching positions.

As a result, they may have to start new careers from scratch or remain unemployed. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Education and Sports can take several key actions to transform the Ugandan educational landscape to give sports the recognition they deserve as highlighted below: First and foremost, sports should be integrated as an examinable subject in schools at the Primary level and A `level.

This will ensure early talent identification and nurturing. Likewise, the Ministry should also ensure that sports teachers are not only adequately trained and certified but have experience in practical aspects of specified sports taught and that schools are equipped with the necessary facilities and equipment to offer quality physical sports education.

Additionally, the Ministry should also ensure that universities offer sports-related courses. This would enable students to pursue professional careers in the sports sector. Further, I propose that the Ministry authorizes institutions to offer special professional courses that allow retired athletes to transition into teaching and coaching roles in schools, leveraging their experience to identify, nurture, train, and mentor the next generation of athletes.

In realizing the above vision, the Ministry should do following: Ensure that the National Curriculum is revised to incorporate sports as an examinable subject at the Primary and A levels; Establish a dedicated committee of educational experts, sports professionals, and stakeholders to design a comprehensive sports curriculum that covers both theoretical and practical aspects of physical education; Ensure that the new curriculum includes career pathways in sports, teaching students about the many opportunities available in sports; Launch a national training program and certifications for sports education teachers, and ensure that they are qualified and equipped to deliver high-quality sports education; Encourage retired athletes to pursue teaching credentials, allow them to bring their experience and expertise back to the classroom;

Allocate funds for the construction and upgrading of sports facilities in schools, and provide schools with the necessary sports equipment, including balls, uniforms, and fitness gear, to ensure that teachers can effectively teach sports education, and; Offer degree sports programs at universities or publicize the already existing programs and partner with international universities that offer world-class sports programs to bring expertise and create exchange opportunities for Ugandan students.

Though this proposal may seem novel, this is not the case because several countries like Kenya, South Africa, the USA, Chile, Norway and Ireland have already integrated sports into their education systems. Save for offering specialized affordable courses through which retired athletes can transition into teaching and coaching roles in schools, which, if taken into consideration, Uganda may set a precedent for other countries.

Ms Dorah Akello is a sports and intellectual property (IP) lawyer and the CEO of Talent for Wealth Initiative Ltd.