Full Mobilization in Junior and Elementary Schools for the Sports Popularization Year

To encourage more students to develop good exercise habits as well as increase the spirit of teamwork on campus, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to "Increase Sports and Exercise Activities in Junior High and Elementary Schools", to begin in May, 2009. The program is aimed at popularizing sports and exercise, making them become daily, fun activities, and organizing class teams to increase  sports participation in schools. Hopefully, it can enable all junior high and elementary school students to have a healthier and more memorable childhood.

The choice of sports and exercise items to popularize was made in line with the level of physical development and coordination of schoolchildren of various age groups. Prevalence, fun, teamwork, safety, degree of activeness and ease of learning were the basic elements applied. As a consequence, the items selected for promotion included: creative gymnastics for schoolchildren from first grade to fourth, T-ball for fifth and sixth graders, and team relays for junior high students.

Teachers and students are encouraged to exercise creativity for creative gymnastics and choreograph movements by integrating different sports elements and musical rhythms. Through playing T-ball more children can have contact with baseball and get to know the sport better. Team relays will help ease students' emotions and enhancing learning.

As currently scheduled, beginning from next semester (Sep., 2009), there will be competitions in these three sports between classes in each school. The winning team of each grade will then represent the school to contest in inter-school competitions at the county/city level. In December this year (2009) the national junior high "big team relay" competition will be held first, then in April next year a national T-ball tournament, and finally the finals of the "creative gymnastics" competition, the highlight of the year, will take place separately in northern, southern, eastern and central Taiwan.

Physical education aims to help students develop skills in sports they like and develop their potential. By popularizing sports and exercise through non-individual and group-oriented measures, students who are not fond of exercising can enjoy the fun of sports by moving their bodies and experience the passion and energy of youth.