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Canada
Should Follow Australia's Lead in Pushing Exercise in Schools
Canada and the U.S. are in desperate need to follow Australia's
government initiative in allocating billions in incentive
funds to the educational system. Australia's goverment is
giving an extra $21.3 billion to the country's schools —
but students will have to sweat for their share.
Schools get a slice of the package only if their students
exercise at least two hours a week — a condition imposed
as part of the government's push to fight childhood obesity,
Prime Minister John Howard announced.
The money, earmarked for boosting literacy, math skills
and other programs, comes on top of what the government
normally allots for education annually.
Howard's government faces elections later this year, and
is expected to fight a tough battle against a resurgent
opposition Labor Party.
Howard seemed to be reversing his earlier stance on the
problem of childhood obesity. Just last week, he said obesity
should be dealt with by parents, not the government. The
prime minister was responding to an opposition call to ban
junk food advertising during children's TV programs.
Obesity is rising in Australia, with more children becoming
seriously overweight because of the immense popularity of
junk food.
Researchers estimate that 23 percent of Australian children
are overweight, while 6 percent of those are obese —
more than triple the number a decade ago.
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Information on Child Obesity Prevention in Schools
Article Source: Associated Press
Article Author: N/A
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