The education ministry says the goal is to shape habits that will stay with pupils throughout their lives, helping them not only improve fitness but also understand its impact on physical, mental, social and environmental health.
Physical education will now be treated as an interdisciplinary subject that also draws on psychology and other domains.
The reforms follow nationwide fitness tests carried out last year, which showed a decline in pupils’ abilities compared with 15 to 20 years ago.
The data indicated that children’s physical performance improves until early adolescence but then decreases, with girls showing earlier declines than boys in several categories.
Education Minister Barbara Nowacka and former Sports Minister Sławomir Nitras said those results demonstrated the need for systemic change.
The new program, they argued, is meant to help reverse the downward trend by ensuring that regular exercise, especially outdoors, becomes part of everyday school life.
In grades one through three of primary school, children will have daily physical activity as part of their general education.
At least one class per week must take place in a gym with access to equipment, but teachers are encouraged to hold as many activities as possible outdoors.
Pupils in those grades will also, for the first time, undergo yearly fitness tests between February and April.
These will include a shuttle run, a 20-meter endurance run, a plank exercise, and a standing long jump. The results will not affect grades but will be used to identify strengths and weaknesses.
Older students will continue to take part in annual fitness tests, which are also excluded from grading.
From grade four onward, physical education will include both traditional lessons and elective options such as sports, dance, recreational activities, and outdoor tourism. Schools are expected to provide access to gyms, sports fields, swimming pools, and other facilities.
For students in the final years of primary school, the program offers optional training modeled on the physical requirements of uniformed services. In secondary schools this component will be mandatory.
The curriculum also highlights values such as teamwork, fairness, responsibility, and respect for others, while promoting environmentally friendly forms of activity. It stresses equal access for all pupils, regardless of ability, and encourages teachers to connect physical education with health education, ecology, and cultural learning.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP