In yesterday’s issue, we featured a news story where an academic expert suggested that after school schemes should be introduced across the board to allow women more flexibility at work.

The idea is simple, yet it makes so much sense. The academic in question put the suggestion forward as a way to encourage more women to venture out into the world of paid employment while still raising a family. We could not agree more.

But there are other added benefits. The expert  in question said that while the after school hours might involve extra academic coaching or tutoring, it does not have to be limited to this. Malta has some of the fattest kids in Europe and the world, and added to that, they are some of the most sedentary – both at home and in school.

Malta’s schooling system involves kids getting to school early and leaving the premises very early – with lessons crammed in at every opportunity due to the tight schedule. More often than not, students miss out on one of the most important forms of education of all – physical education and sports.

Recent studies have found that some students in Malta get less than an hour of PE every week. Some might immediately point to the fact that this contributes towards soaring obesity rates, and of course – coupled with a bad diet – they are perfectly correct.

But there is another aspect which is often overlooked. The maxim a healthy body leads to a healthy mind is a tried and trusted one. If these after school schemes include sessions for sport, kids will not only be exercising and getting fit, it will instil them with a desire to remain active as they get older and venture out into the real world as young adults. If that desire can be fostered and nurtured, it can be carried on into full adult life and hopefully passed on to the next generation.

Apart from that, studies have also shown that competitive play in any sport – whether it be a team based activity, or an individual one such as athletics or contact sports, can help children sharpen their minds and perform better academically. There is also the added benefit of children getting their heads out of their smartphones and video games and learning about team play, healthy competition and personal discipline.

 

This really is a win-win situation. Not only will parents have more flexibility and have their stressful daily workload reduced in ferrying kids about here and there and racing against time to get home from work, but the kids themselves will get something healthy out of it too. The schemes do not have to be limited to sports either, there could also be music classes, drama classes, filming classes, photography classes and many, many more. The list goes on. The government could provide a budget for such activities without breaking the bank. This is an initiative that the government really should look into and put forward for public consultation. Education Minister Evarist Bartolo is an outdoors man who regularly posts about his walks and activities outside of the workplace, we are sure that he will entertain this idea and expand on it.