What is physical education?

Md. Saifur Rahman

What is physical education?

To say something about physical education or to define it first we need to know what education is. Physical education is an integral part of the total education process. Without physical education, education remains incomplete. A definition of education will make it easy for us to understand what physical education is. Different scholars have defined education in different ways, which are related to different situations. Education is not only intellectual development, it also includes physical, social, and emotional, and all-around development of other areas. Education is not limited to a specific point of time in individual life but it takes place throughout life. Education is not confined to the boundary of a school but it may be acquired from family, society, playground, and so on.

A few relevant definitions of education -

According to Plato - "Education helps in the body and soul of the pupil all the beauty and all the perfection he is capable of".

Another scholar defines education as the creation of a sound mind in a sound body.

It is also defined that education is the harmonious development of body, mind, and soul.

According to Charles A Bucher, "physical education is an integral part of the total education process and its aim is the development of physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially fit citizens, through physical activities which have been selected with a view to realizing their outcomes".

From the above definitions, it is clear that education and physical education are complementary to each other.

D.K Matthews says, "Physical education is the education which is acquired through physical activities".

Hop smith and Clifton says, " Physical education refers to the scientific and systematic movement of limbs".

According to J.B. Nash, physical education is the part of the whole field of education that deals with big muscle activities and their related responses that bring changes in an individual's body and personality. From the above definitions, it is found that the essence of physical education is the all-around development of an individual's personality. As a result of physical education, one becomes physically fit, mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, morally true, and spiritually uplifted. All these outcomes are achieved by means of recreational activities of games and sports.