Irish schoolchildren of all ages do less physical education than children in 25 other European countries, according to a study by the European Physical Education Association (EPEA), which monitors the state of PE in schools.
Irish children aged six to 12 do about 45 minutes per week at primary school, compared to two hours and 45 minutes in French primary schools, two hours and 12 minutes in German schools, and one hour and 45 minutes in British schools.
Ireland is once again at the bottom of the European league in the 13-to-16 age group. Irish students do an average of 45 minutes of PE a week, compared to most European countries, which offer at least two hours per week.
Even worse are the figures in the 17-to-18 age group, where the average Irish PE provision drops to only 20 minutes per week, compared to two hours in France, one hour and 35 minutes in Germany, and one hour and 22 minutes in Britain.
The Physical Education Association of Ireland (PEAI) commented that this showed "the trend to drop PE from the curriculum at this stage in Irish schools".
The PEAI urged the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, to provide support for the implementation of the proposed new physical education curriculum for primary schools.
More hours should be devoted to PE in pre- and in-service training courses for primary and special schoolteachers.
It also said the second-level syllabus should be revised, and the Minister should "authorise the pilot project proposed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment committee on physical education so that work can commence in the 1997-98 academic year".
It called on Mr Martin to stand by Fianna Fail's election commitment to appoint more physical education teachers, to build sport and physical training into the curriculum, and to incorporate them into the Junior and Leaving Certificates.