Quality Physical Education Policy Project
Quality physical education contributes to 21st century education
Sustainable development starts with safe, healthy, well-educated children. To impart skills required for the 21st century, education must focus on shaping attitudes, building behaviours and instilling values that support peace, inclusion and equitable development.
"Quality Physical Education (QPE) is an essential entry point….to learn life skills, and develop positive patterns of behaviour" (MINEPS V 2013).
Facts and figures on the benefits of public investment in QPE
Closing the Policy-Practice Gap
As the UN agency mandated for sport, education and peace-building, UNESCO has joined forces with partners (European Commission, the International Bureau of Education (IBE), International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), International Olympic Committee (IOC), Nike, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO)) to promote recognition of physical education’s broad-based social and development benefits and to practically support governments revise national policy to be inclusive and child-centered.
Following a call from UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) echoed during the World Sports Ministers Conference (MINEPS V) in 2013, UNESCO and partners have developed a QPE Policy Package.
The QPE Policy Package at a glance
A “how to” guide (Quality Physical Education Guidelines for Policy-Makers) to review and reinforce policy measures, with locally adaptable benchmarks for provision, checklists, good practice examples and a policy matrix (also available in French, Portuguese and Spanish).
A methodology document which outlines good practice in terms of the process of policy revision (also available in French and Spanish);
An infographic making the case for public investment in inclusive, child-centered QPE policy (also availabale in French and Spanish).
Revised policy documents benefit from input and expertise of peer review countries, engaged to share global good practice and provide guidance.
Participation and inclusion of diverse range of stakeholders involved in, and affected by, the QPE policy, via consultations designed to reflect grassroots perspectives in upstream policy frameworks.
Development of robust national policy measures through the establishment of multi-stakeholder mechanisms.
A select number of governments will be supported in revising QPE Policy documents to be inclusive, child-centered and promoting physical literacy as part of rounded human development.
Photo gallery
For further information, please contact:
Nancy Mclennan
Project Officer – Youth and Sport Section
Sector for Social and Human Sciences
Mail: n.mclennan(at)unesco.org
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 68 45 38
