Separate physical education subjects from ‘Happy Life’ in first and second grades of elementary school… Sports club time is also increased

Physical education is separated into a separate subject in the ‘Happy Life’ subject in the first and second grades of elementary school.

On the 26th, the National Education Commission announced that it would change the national curriculum to establish a new physical activity-related subject for first and second grade elementary school students.

Previously, the Ministry of Education announced a policy to create a separate physical education subject to strengthen the physical activity of first and second grade elementary school students, saying that students’ physical decline has worsened due to COVID-19. Currently, music, art, and physical education activities are integrated and operated within the ‘Happy Life’ subject.

Nine out of 17 members of the Committee for National and Political Affairs supported the proposal to separate physical activities for first and second graders of elementary school. There were 2 people against, 2 abstentions, and 4 people not participating in the vote. According to the results of this day’s meeting, the National Education Commission will revise the national curriculum to separate physical activity from the ‘fun life’ taught by first and second graders of elementary school and establish a separate integrated curriculum.

In addition, the State Affairs Commission decided to expand the operating hours of middle school school sports clubs from 102 hours to 136 hours. To ensure that learning music and art subjects is not neglected, educational goals and achievement standards related to music and art in the existing ‘Happy Life’ will also be strengthened.

The Korean Council for Political Science recommended that the Ministry of Education establish a ‘School Physical Activity Support Plan’ to encourage physical activity in first and second graders of elementary schools and to effectively operate school sports club activities in middle schools. However, it is expected that it will take about 2 to 3 years before physical education is actually separated into a separate subject. This is because basic research on national curriculum revision must be conducted and new textbooks must be created.

In the education world, there are also voices opposing the separation of physical education subjects. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said, “There is a need for supplementation in terms of human resources support, facilities, and civil complaints and risk factors related to sports activities.” The elementary school teachers’ union stated, “Even if schools want to hold physical activity classes, there are many cases where they are unable to do so because the physical conditions are not in place.”