Reputed athletic coach and Assistant Director of Education at Wattegama Education Zone, Susantha Fernando highlighted the need to introduce physical education as a subject for all grades from 1 to 13. Fernando, who has been the coach and mentor of many a national athlete at their student years at Ratnayake Central Walala reiterated the importance of introducing physical education as a seperate subject when the government implements the proposed educational reforms.
Fernando, who has influenced many of his charges at Ratnayake Central to become physical education teachers has been a vehemant critique of the merger of physical education and health science in early 2000s.
”One of the major requirements in the schools education system is to separate physical education and health science and introduce physical education as a practical subject from grade one to 13,” said Fernando on the sidelines of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship at Diyagama where he was felicitated by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association.
”According to the newly introduced education reforms the subject of physical education and health science are going to be bucket subjects for grade 10 and 11. With nearly 25% of the student population suceptible to falling prey to non transmittable deceases, drastic measures should be taken to address the situation. I recommend physical education for all grades from 1 to 13. This will help students to become physically and mentally healthy throughout their student years. We can not expect a student to be healthy if he or she is confined only to books. Untill 2001 physical education was a separate subject at schools but from then on physical education and health science became one subject.”
”Currently Sri Lanka is the only country where both these subjects are merged and taught at schools,” said Fernando.
Fernando the coach and mentor of Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunaratne has five other proposals which he consider vital for the development of student athletes.
They are:
Introduction of ‘Kids athletics’ programm introduced by World Athletics from grade 1-5,
Conduct physical fitness tests for students from grade six to 13 each term and include the points obtained in the report cards,
Hold a talent identification test for students in grade eight to identify future prospects in sports,
Make it compulsory for students above grade six to engage in at least one practical sport and
A physical fitness test for all students facing O/L and A/L examinations and grade their level of fitness accordingly (A, B, C, S, W etc..) and include them in the results of the examination.
Susantha has vast experience as a middle and long distance coach. While he has been involved in physical education for more than three decades he has also influenced more than 400 of his charges at Ratnayake Central to become physical education teachers during the last three decades. He has an enviable record of more than 70 international medals as a coach.
He was felicitated for his service on the opening day of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Monday.
by Reemus Fernando
