An Assessment of the Current Status, Challenges and the Future Prospects of Physical Education in High Schools of North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia

Introduction: Physical education can contribute to the goals of education in many significance ways. First physical education makes a unique contribution to the development of the total person. It is the only area of the school curriculum that promotes the development in the psychomotor domain. Second a quality physical education program enhances the health and wellbeing of students. Students who are healthy can learn more effectively, have more energy to expend on educational tasks. One of the main objectives of a physical education program is to advance the general well-being of each student (Wuest and Bucher, 1995). Methods: The objective of this study to assess the current status, challenges and the future prospects of physical education in the secondary schools of North Wollo zone. The sample consisted of 350 students and 7 physical education teachers drawn from three preparatory schools. The research methodology employed in the study was a descriptive survey. Questionnaires were the major data gathering instruments used in the study. Interview and observation were supportive data gathering instruments. Results: The results showed that students participation level and attitude towards physical education were low: high participation in physical education class and in different sport activities (97.35%), highly like to learn physical education class (21.17 %), high attitude towards physical education (13.23 %). Regarding to physical education curriculum: disagree on the existing curriculum of physical education satisfy needs of students (56.76 %), disagree on the contents of physical education can make you actively participate (57.35 %), instructional materials and facilities were adequate(strongly disagree, 52.64 %), the allotted time to physical education was not enough, physical education was not considered as basic subject. Conclusion: The findings show that students’ level of participation in physical education and in different sports and their attitude towards physical education was low in under study area. Instructional materials and facilities are the major factors for quality physical education in school. Moreover, it has been found that these ingredients were inadequately available in the schools under study. School facilities such as different play grounds, water to wash, different balls and different sport equipment were found to be insufficient. Keywords: Challenges, physical education, Current Status and Future prospects DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/47-02 Publication date: February 29th 202