Role of sport in education highlighted

Eoin English

Sport Minister John O’Donoghue was in Cork to present six groups with awards to mark their efforts throughout the European Year of Education through Sport (EYES) 2004 initiative.

The winners were the Mitchelstown Community Games, the Kenmare Special Needs Group, Kerry Diocesan Youth Service, the Clonroche/Poulpeasty Community Games, in Enniscorthy, the New Life for Youth group in, Darndale, Dublin, and the Summerhill Active Retirement Group, from Co Meath.

He also presented an award to students from Ireland’s most sporting school, Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig, Co Cork, which won the title during the year.

All groups were involved in a wide range of sport and physical activities including soccer, hurling, draughts, dance and movement therapy and the European and World Senior Games.

The minister said their work through EYES 2004 will leave a physical fitness legacy for Ireland. “I firmly believe it is vital to look at ways of establishing a legacy that would see the aims of EYES 2004 carried through into the future,” he said.

The minister also said they had helped people realise that more work needs to be done to encourage young people to move from the Playstation to the playing fields.

Chaired by John Bowman, the final EYES conference of the year focused on all elements of the year from an Irish and European perspective.

It addressed the need to promote links between clubs and schools at primary and post-primary level.

Discussions also took place on government policy for sports development and on the implementation of sporting policy in Ireland.

Frances Murphy from St Patrick’s College of Education told delegates that the latest research indicates that up to 75% of children claim Physical Education as their favourite subject.

“The task is for parents to respond to the challenge and understand the importance of PE in the curriculum, for the Department of Education and Science to row in with real financial support and for the Sports Council, national governing bodies and health boards to lend their expertise to the promotion of PE and physical activity in schools.”