By Staff Reporter

Copyright guyanachronicle

—Education Ministry, GDF team up to promote fitness and wellness in youth

MINISTER of Education, Sonia Parag, on Friday, spearheaded the national rollout of a new Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation programme in more than 30 public schools across the country, marking a major step in promoting wellness and active lifestyles among Guyana’s youth.
The initiative aligns with President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s vision to dedicate Friday afternoons to physical activity in all public schools, an approach designed to instil healthy habits, reduce screen time, and cultivate values such as teamwork, discipline, and resilience from an early age.
“We have to start very young, and we have to inculcate that in our youngsters, in our youths, Minister Parag affirmed during a visit to several participating institutions.
The initiative is a joint effort between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to ensure effective design, structure, and delivery across all administrative regions.
On Friday, Minister Parag engaged students and teachers at schools including Tutorial High, North Georgetown Primary, Dolphin Secondary, Enterprise Primary and Parade Ground, where she observed firsthand the enthusiasm surrounding the launch.
Addressing public curiosity about the GDF’s involvement, Minister Parag clarified that the role of the army is not to introduce military drills, but to bring structure, consistency and expertise to the physical education framework.

Activities under the new programme include warm-up exercises, dance, obstacle courses, cricket, football, and other engaging routines to foster movement and enjoyment among students.
Colonel Kenlloyd Roberts highlighted GDF’s role as one of support and knowledge transfer, helping teachers build basic competence in conducting safe and engaging PE sessions.
He explained, “In that regard, we are dispatching some of our physical training instructors to help educate and train the teachers on how to conduct physical activities where that is necessary.”
Colonel Roberts explained further that not all teachers will have an idea of how to conduct a physical activity.
He added: “I’m talking about warming the kids up, stretches, formal, structured physical activity, how to respond to certain situations. That’s some guidance, some information and knowledge we transfer to them. We’re not going to make them physical training instructors, but in that regard, we assist them in how to formally conduct these activities in a safe, fun manner where the kids will be motivated and want to do it again.”

This initiative represents a tangible step in fostering a national culture of health and wellness and is part of a broader vision by the Ali-led administration to improve education, mental and physical health, and youth development.
The Ministry of Education intends to expand the programme rapidly to ensure 100% participation across all public schools in the near future.
As President Ali previously said, “This is about building future leaders who are not only academically competent but also physically strong and socially conscious.”