Debate: Should physical education be mandatory in schools?
Side: Yes!

(a) Debate point: Physical Education develops healthy lifestyle and fit bodyPhysical Education is a key subject that ensures that each student is physically fit. With Physical Education made compulsory in all schools, each student will learn the different exercise skills and will know how to maintain a lifelong exercising habit and continue to lead a healthy lifestyle even after graduation from schools.By making Physical Education compulsory from Primary 1 all the way to Pre-University, the young age at which Physical Education starts from allows children to develop a healthy lifestyle from young that will see them through to adulthood. (b) Debate point: Physical Education develops characterBeside ensuring healthy and fit citizens of Singapore, Physical Education also allows students to develop their interpersonal skills, social skills, team dynamics and psychomotor skills. For example, when children play sports and games during Physical Education, students are encouraged to develop the spirit of fair play in their games, thereby building their character and sportsmanship.(c) Debate point: Government recognizes the importance of Physical EducationAs evidence of the importance of Physical Education, in the latest Budget Debate, the Ministry of Education has stated that the number of hours of Physical Education in schools will be increased gradually through the years.(d) Debate point: Statistics prove compulsory Physical Education is good for the health of school studentsPhysical Education is currently a compulsory subject in all schools. As evidence that the aims of Physical Education to maintain a healthy lifestyle among Singapore students are working, the prevalence of obesity in school children, that is, those whose weight are in excess of 120% weight-for-height in students from Primary to Pre-university schools, declined from 14% in 1992 to 9.8% in 2002. Whereas, after these students leave school and Physical Education is no longer compulsory, the rate of obesity among adults aged 18-69 years increased from 5.1% in 1992 to 6% in 1998. (http://www.wpro.who.int/internet/resources.ashx/NUT/sin.pdf) Therefore, this is conclusive evidence that making Physical Education a compulsory subject is critical to maintain healthy weight levels among Singaporeans. (e) Debate point: Harmful consequences if Physical Education were not made a compulsory subject in schoolsIf Physical Education were not a compulsory subject, all schools in order to ensure their students score well during the national examinations, will naturally schedule more sit-down class sessions so that their students have more hours to study. This will be detrimental to the students’ physical and social development. Unhealthy children will grow up to be unhealthy adults. Unhealthy adults will not be able to contribute to Singapore’s economy and this will lead to a downward spiral for Singapore.(f) Debate point: They are still exposed to reality and do not live in a fake environment.You say that making Physical Education compulsory puts the child in a so called fake environment is false. Physical Education is only in school, thus, they are still exposed to the temptations. Furthermore, when they are forced to exercise, they will keep fit even if they fall prey to any temptations.(g) Debate point: Physical Education does not make a child hate a sport. Physical Education’s purpose is just to keep a child fit so that he will not be obese and will be able to pass NAFA. A child will still be able to play his favourite sports outside school hours and even during recess. A child which really loves a sport will not suddenly have a change of heart just because he or she is forced to play a sport he hates.