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Bin Salman announced that his investment in the sports sector has resulted in an increase in its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 0.4% to 1.5%. He expressed his satisfaction with the decision to invest in sports, which aligns with the developmental vision for the year 2030. However, one thing is clearly missing from this investment: the current level of girls’ physical fitness education.
The perpetuation of negative cultural and physical attitudes regarding women’s sports over generations poses significant challenges to their opposition. The Saudi families are still resisting surrendering to the fact that girls’ physical education is crucial to boosting the girls’ mental and physical well-being due to ideas and stereotypes that used to define the role of women in society. Denying girls their rights to physical education in government schools reflects a tremendous level of gender inequality, as boys in government schools in Saudi Arabia have always had access to physical education in Saudi government schools. Of course, the quality is not controlled and varied due to budgetary considerations, but accessibility is ensured. Implementation of the physical education program for Saudi girls only started in the academic year 2017-2018 as a component of the Nation Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 initiatives. Prior to that particular year, female students in all government schools in Saudi Arabia were not granted the opportunity to engage in any form of physical education. Consequently, in the year 2013, the overall health-care expenditure in Saudi Arabia incurred a direct and indirect cost of 1.71% due to physical inactivity, specifically among adolescent females. For instance, the disparity in physical education availability is apparent in the obesity rate of 44%, surpassing the national average of 35.4% by nearly three. This discrepancy is far higher than the global average of 13%. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has disclosed that there has been an escalation in the prevalence of chronic diseases linked to physical inactivity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, by neglecting physical education for girls, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) for Health and Well-being will not be archived. This goal aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
Given the extensive historical backdrop of gender disparities within the realm of physical education in Saudi Arabia, it is pertinent to inquire about the projected timeline required for the transformative vision to rectify the detrimental consequences inflicted upon the health of Saudi girls and women because of the absence of such educational opportunities. Furthermore, it is important to consider whether the proposed vision possesses viable strategies for enhancing the standard of physical education after achieving accessibility and subsequently guaranteeing its long-term sustainability.
To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the extent to which the project has been implemented, a series of semi-structured interviews were performed with female individuals between the ages of 7 and 18, as well as their respective families, residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All female students enroll in public educational institutions. The objective of the interviews was to ascertain whether girls’ physical education is being accorded comparable priority to other sport projects in 2023 or if it is lagging. The new developmental vision targeted sport education for girls in elementary, secondary, and high government schools. The ministry of education, in cooperation with the ministry of education, has provided training to female trainers to handle the sport classes. Unfortunately, in some schools, PA class happens once a week. The sports that are available are basketball, ping-pong, running, and swimming in very few schools due to budgetary limitations. However, Saudi Arabia has been allocating substantial financial resources towards hosting and participating in international sporting events and forums. In recent times, a substantial number of financial resources have been allocated towards the recruitment of soccer players from various foreign clubs with the intention of integrating them into the Saudi national squad. The prospect of learning more about the level of dedication and effectiveness in carrying out educational visions within public school systems piqued my interest. I inquired about the adequacy of the sports facilities in which the physical education sessions are being held. Additionally, it’s crucial to check whether the coaches or instructors leading the physical activity classes are qualified. Furthermore, I am interested in understanding the level of emotional and mental preparedness among Saudi cultures with regards to adopting and embracing a new active lifestyle. Specifically, I would like to explore the significance of physical movement and an active lifestyle and how these factors can enhance the body’s resilience against non-communicable diseases.
References
MacInnes, P. (2023, September 22). Mohammed bin Salman says he will ‘continue doing sport washing’ for Saudi Arabia. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/21/mohammed-bin-salman-says-he-will-continue-doing-sport-washing-for-saudi-arabia
G. S. (2023, September 21). Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman “will continue sportswashing.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrmqY9hyCCw
Al-Shahrani, H. F. (2020, December 1). The Reality of Women’s Sport in Saudi Society. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2020.080627
Saudi Arabia approves a physical education program in girls’ schools. (2017, July 11). Arab News. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1127811/saudi-arabia
The official Saudi Press Agency. (n.d.). SaudiPressAgency. https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/news/categories-news/4?page=1
Saudi Vision 2030. (2023, December 9). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Vision_2030#:~:text=Saudi%20Vision%202030%20lays%20out,UNESCO%20heritage%20sites%2C%20life%20expectancy
