In the opinion of the NIK, the level of physical education and the conditions for doing sports in schools, as well as training of students in universities of physical education are not appropriate.
Almost 50 percent of Polish schools do not have gyms at all. 30 percent of existing gyms are too small - below 162 square meters. In over 11,000 schools, PE classes are organised in corridors or in rooms designated for other purposes, while students change clothes in classrooms or in corridors.
NIK auditors find it alarming that 75 percent of schools do not provide appropriate safety conditions during PE classes. Students exercise next to windowpanes, radiators and on slippery floor, as well as on improperly prepared outdoor sports fields where it is easy to sustain an injury.
According to the NIK, the following are the main problems in the are of physical education in schools:
- bad technical condition of gyms, sports fields and equipment (in 21 percent of the audited schools),
- lack of teachers trained in first aid (in 18 percent of the audited schools),
- too many students participating in PE classes at a time,
- disregarding security rules on admitting students to sports classes - the auditors observed cases of admitting students without necessary medical examinations or with various types of health problems (with a curved backbone, heart problems, overweight or obesity).
Although PE teachers have high qualifications, they fail to provide an appropriate level of PE classes, and students frequently find these classes unattractive. Schools do not offer alternative ways of exercise, such as aerobic or swimming. Over 30 percent of schools do not organise championships nor other sports events, and they do not collaborate with sports clubs or associations, either. Teachers do not appreciate individual abilities and skills of their students, they apply stiff assessment criteria and do not adjust the curriculum to the sports base in their schools.
As a result, schools do not promote active lifestyle and do not prevent overweight and obesity among students, although two additional PE classes were introduced for this purpose. On the contrary, students tend to avoid PE. Many students do not participate in PE classes although they are present at school. The most frequent excuses they use are the lack of sportswear (33 percent) and certificates from parents (23 percent). But in the opinion of the NIK, the real reasons are different, such as poor infrastructure, bad assessment system and unattractive classes.
According to an interview conducted by the NIK among students, teachers prefer group sports or gymnastics, while they would rather play table tennis or do some aerobics, dancing or swimming, which are a rarity.
NIK auditors also disclosed certain irregularities in sports universities that train for the job of PE teachers. As many as 78 percent of them lower the requirements that candidates must meet or do not have any fitness tests during the recruitment process for candidates for extramural or postgraduate studies.
