News Releases

Students who are entering grades 9 and 10 this year will be the first required to complete physical education courses through all four years of high school, Education, Citizenship and Youth  Minister Peter Bjornson announced today.

 

“We are moving quickly to implement the recommendations in the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force Report, which includes a physical education/health curriculum for grades 11 and 12,” Bjornson said.

 

“Encouraging our students to develop healthy, active minds and bodies is a priority for this government,” said Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross.  “We are providing opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom to develop exercise habits they can carry with them throughout their lives.”

 

Under the new policy, among the first-of-its-kind in the country, students entering Grade 10 will complete four credits of physical education by graduation once grades 11 and 12 physical education/health (PE/HE) curricula are implemented in September 2008.

 

The curricula will focus on developing active, healthy lifestyles through in-class and out-of-class activities. Students will be encouraged to take greater ownership of their own physical fitness and find activities suited to their interests and abilities.

 

Students entering Grade 11 this year will have to earn only the Grade 12 PE/HE credit to graduate with a minimum of 29 credits. Students graduating after 2008-09 will require 30 credits. Those entering Grade 11 in the 2008-09 school year will have to earn one PE/HE credit in Grade 11 and one in Grade 12.

 

In-class instructional time led by teachers may be supplemented with out-of-class options that require teacher and parent or guardian sign-off. Out-of-class physical activities eligible for credit will include a wide variety of possibilities tailored to the student needs, interest and opportunities. 

 

The Manitoba government has introduced several resources to promote physical activity for children and families in response to the all-party Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force Report released in June 2005. The task force examined issues such as nutrition, physical activity and injury prevention, and identified priorities, initiatives and actions that can be implemented over the short, medium and long term to provide support for healthy environments.