As part of the Parents Welcome programme, aimed at redressing the issue of obesity among children in Seychelles by getting them involved in sports, the leisure and sports for all unit within the National Sports Council hosted a two-hour walking session on Monday, gathering pupils from the different primary schools in the Mahé central area.
The event, which coincided with school half-term, was hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and in total, the pupils had to cover a portion of the Roche Caïman fitness trail – a 400m track – as many times as they could within the given two hours.
With 542 laps covered, the Perseverance primary school was the most successful, earning them the top prize, ahead of second-placed Plaisance primary who covered 501 laps.
Bel Eau primary school finished third, covering 253 laps, followed in fourth place by La Rosière primary with 146 laps.
In terms of individual achievements, Mila Albert of Plaisance primary won the prize for being the girl with most laps covered – 27 laps – while Dylan Ernest of Plaisance primary and Jaden Thomas of Bel Eau each covered 30 laps to finish best among the boys.
According to the director of the community, leisure and sports for all unit within the National Sports Council (NSC) Francis Remie, the performance of the pupils during the challenge was very good, given their age group, based on the average total of the challenge.
He said based on the performances, some of the pupils have the ability and potential to take up competitive walking, even if the sport is not very common locally.
It has been a long time issue locally that the education system tends to focus only on the academic development of the children, while no emphasis is being put on their health and personal development, while in some cases, the education component of physical education (PE) is most of the time ignored.
It has been proven that sport and physical education is fundamental to the early development of children and youth, while the skills learned during play, PE and sports contribute to the holistic development of children and young people, while through participation in sport, children and young people learn about the importance of key values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect for themselves and others and also adherence to rules.
In terms of health benefits, children who are active in PE are less likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other health conditions as well as have weight problems.
Other benefits of PE are: develop stronger immune systems, stronger heart and lungs, bones and muscle structure, increase in blood flow to the brain, perspire and breathe more efficiently.
Source: Seychelles Nation