Physical activity programme launched for UAE Schools

The UAE Ministry of Education has introduced a new physical activity programme for primary schools across the Emirates. Launched in Dubai today, over 30 schools took part in an in-depth training seminar featuring presentations by the Ministry and Dr Abdulrahman Musaiger, co-ordinator of the Arab Centre for Nutrition (ACN).
Called Al Haraka Baraka, which when translated into English means ‘movement is a blessing’, the web-based Arabic and English language teaching resource was developed especially for the Gulf area by Master Foods Middle East, part of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of grocery products.
Al Haraka Baraka is the product of two years research and development undertaken into identifying appropriate issues, activities and language. The company worked in close co-operation with the UAE Ministry of Education, the ACN and other specialist groups to produce an easy to use programme that addressed locally the need to promote healthier lifestyles.
According to Ms Christine Greaves, Master Foods' External Affairs Manager, Al Haraka Baraka, is designed for easy implementation within schools and classrooms. She said that “this is not a sports programme, but something that simply sets out to heighten awareness of the need to do more physical activity. Al Haraka Baraka requires no investment in expensive apparatus, beyond a skipping rope and a stop watch, and focuses on the sort of activities that the vast majority of us can perform simply by modifying our lifestyles.”
According to international statistics, children are undertaking much less activity today than 30 years ago. Al Haraka Baraka  provides teachers with a framework to build knowledge about physical activity by explaining the types of activity we should do with practical examples. “The aim is to encourage habitual physical activity for children from an early age” said Ms Greaves.
Commenting on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Ibrahim Salem Alsakkar, Director of Dept. of Sport & Health Programs stated that  "the change in modern lifestyles and the dependence on tools and equipment to help performing tasks easily without any physical effort has resulted in the spread of diseases caused by the lack of physical activity in society like obesity, diabetes, and heart problems. Therefore, it has become necessary to cooperate between different community institutions to reduce the spread of such diseases.
“In turn, the Ministry of Education in UAE has paid a lot of attention to this issue, and their leadership has decided to establish a special unit that takes care of health and fitness programmes aiming to raise awareness of students and parents of health issues through programs and plans applied on the ground. The start for this was the new highly developed curriculum for sports and health that will increase healthy habits between students and encourage them to practice active lifestyles through involvement in various physical activities at school and everywhere else."
He continued to explain that the initiative came with the help of Master Foods through its cooperation with the Ministry of Education.  “It aims to help physical education teachers achieve their goals for the new curriculum for the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades for primary schools. This will be achieved through easy and simple methods using the website dedicated for the programme. Al Haraka Baraka has been developed by a number of Arab experts known for their scientific methodology in the field of health and sports. As a result, the components and mechanics of the programme are most suitable for the habits of Arab communities.”
Al Haraka Baraka consists of four lesson plans along with background information for teachers. There's also a special guide for parents to ensure mums and dads understand the programme and set positive examples at home. There are work sheets, activity diaries, games, a summary of 10 healthy tips for fitness and an Al Haraka Baraka poem.
The programme introduces children to the three main types of activity we need to improve and maintain health. These include Aerobic exercises, such as running and swimming, Flexibility exercises such as stretching and gymnastics, and Strength building exercises, such as lifting weights. All have been interpreted to find every day examples such as climbing the stairs rather than using a lift.
The UAE Ministry of Education plan to target over 30 primary schools across 10 educational zones for the remainder of the academic year, however, as the programme is freely available on the web (at www.alharakabaraka.com), any school can choose to run the programme.
Its also designed to be inter-active with schools developing their own interpretation of the programme. The final lesson suggests that children provide a demonstration to their peer group on what they have learned to encourage group activities such as sponsored walks and activity days. Master Foods aim to grow the website with feedback and images from participating schools, there's also a competition for schools with prizes offered for the school that makes best use of the programme.