Physical Education Moving From Marginalized to Materialized

AbstractUndoubtedly, the world has seen drastic changes after the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic has also solidified the importance of children’s immunity, health, and physical activity (PA). Regular PA is considered an investment for the future, which will increase the quality of life of all people. Specific to COVID-19, evidence suggests that PA promotes resistance to infectious diseases and should be encouraged among the general population to lower the risk of community-acquired infection and infectious disease mortality. Physical education (PE) is a crucial subject in the school that strives to give children and youth learning opportunities that help them develop the understanding, desire, and capacity to lead physically active lives. While in the past the role of PE in abating childhood obesity has been espoused to questionable success, in this post-pandemic era, it is argued that PE must capitalize on the widely recognized need to increase youth PA. Here, we charge PE to actualize its potential and move from being marginalized to materializing its role in helping students identify PA as an essential part of their lives. Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsAwadhesh Kumar ShirotriyaAwadhesh Kumar Shirotriya (aks144@gmail.com) is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Fiji National University in Lautoka, Fiji Islands.Aaron BeighleAaron Beighle is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.