The Ministry of Education and Culture supports the need to spread to all schools the UNICEF program "Sports for Development", which helps schoolchildren to develop important social skills. This was emphasized by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Roman Hreba, during the round table "Prospects of spreading the program "Sports for Development" in Ukraine", held at the Ministry of Education and Culture.
"Sport is an effective tool for uniting children, developing both leadership skills and the habit of working in a team. Through sports, we must form in schoolchildren complete rejection of any forms of discrimination. This, in particular, applies to such a phenomenon as bullying. It is through team work in physical education classes that children can learn to respect each other and be tolerant," said the Deputy Minister.
The "Sports for Development" project was implemented in 302 schools in five eastern regions of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and the Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. As part of the program, in 2016-2017, schools received sports equipment and uniforms, and sports grounds were opened in 30 educational institutions. In addition, in 2017, 27 trainings were held for more than 800 physical education teachers and school leaders.
This year, sports tournaments were also held, in particular, football competitions among girls. According to Roman Hreba, the tournament for schoolgirls was aimed at countering gender stereotypes and establishing gender equality.
At the event, educational and methodological guides for teachers, which will be useful in working with children, were presented. Two thousand such manuals will soon be delivered to key scientific and educational institutions and schools that participated in the project.
"Sports help children to be healthy and develop the life and social skills they need. Sports games support social cohesion and contribute to the rehabilitation of children in crisis situations through education and physical development. Sports also contribute to social unity and help the integration of internally displaced children into a new community," emphasized Laura Bill, Deputy Head of the UNICEF Office in Ukraine.
We will remind you that the Ministry of Education and Culture proposed how to improve the results of budget programs for local budgets in the field of "Education" taking into account the gender approach. In particular, this concerned physical education lessons in schools.
For reference: "Sports for Development" is a program implemented by UNICEF within the framework of the project "Strengthening Social Cohesion and Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in Eastern Ukraine" with the financial support of the German Government provided through the KfW Development Bank.
