Schools risking lives with stance on PE during month of Ramadan, ex teacher says
Schools must do more to protect children during Ramadan - or suffer the potentially fatal consequences, a former PE teacher has warned.
Muslim pupils are encouraged to continue PE lessons as normal despite observing the holy month of fasting but no formal guidance has been issued nationally to safeguard them and teachers. Dr Irfan Khawaja, who is a senior lecturer in Physical Education and was a teacher for more than 10 years, says this put lives at risk as the body naturally struggles with the change.
Dr Khawaja, 37, said activities are often not changed or amended to suit the capabilities of Muslim pupils, who cannot eat or drink, including water, until sundown. The lecturer, himself a practising Muslim, told the Mirror: "They (teachers) should reduce the intensity of the activities that they teach, or change what they teach altogether.
"Muslim fasting students can do it, no doubt, and, if they are good students, like I guess I was, they won't moan about it, they'll just crack on. But you are just waiting for something to happen, and it's going to be all over the national press, national news, and that school is going to be liable, and ultimately that school would have a serious case to answer there... Lives at risk, exactly. It is a school's duty of care."
Dr Khawaja, who lectures at Birmingham City University, has developed guidance for teaching staff at schools across the UK, endorsed by Association for PE (AfPE), Youth Sport Trust (YST), Chartered Institute of for the Management of Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). It was presented to Parliament at the start of March ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which started on March 10. It is believed to be the first guidance of its kind in the United Kingdom to support curriculum and extra-curricular PE.
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Dr Khawaja, who himself is Muslim, has been a lecturer and a teacher for years (Birmingham City University)Dr Khawaja says PE teachers currently experience resistance from some Muslim children during the month of Ramadan because they feel - or they say - they should not take PE lessons. However, the academic, who lives in Worcestershire, says there is no evidence to support this in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. Ramadan encourages Muslims to engage with daily life as normal, but it is said teachers at times face miscommunication and misunderstandings about the religion.
Dr Khawaja, who started working at the university in around 2016 when he helped create the department and its courses, added: "There is a lack of education and awareness with some staff, all the way up to headteachers and governors as well. I was shocked when I was teaching in schools as at that point, some teachers and parents really did not know what Ramadan was and so that was the biggest challenge, which I faced both as a student, and as a teacher. For example, many people out there believe during Ramadan, you are nil by mouth but allowed to drink water, that is false. It is actually no water as well.
"Ramadan follows follows the lunar calendar and, if you are fasting in the summer it maybe during a heatwave, and so there's going to be some natural health and safety considerations there. I remember I was teaching javelin in 30C and I would have 30 students under my duty of care when I was teaching, and I was the only one on the field. Now, anything had have happened to me, then I and the school would obviously have been liable there. Equally, if I, as a student, have not had anything to eat or drink during the day for a long, long day to go to as well, so there are practical challenges and serious health and safety considerations to be had there as well."
When Dr Khawaja first started teaching in the mid 2000s in Birmingham, it was "the norm" for some pupils to expect to be allowed to sit PE out as they were observing Ramadan. However, as a practising Muslim himself, Dr Khawaja questioned this.
Exercise - in and outside of school - is encouraged during Ramadan, contrary to what Dr Khawaja says is misconception (Getty Images)"I said 'What's was going on here? Why are we not doing it?' I was fasting too. I was faced with quite a lot of backlash, quite a bit of challenge from teachers, from parents, governors, saying that 'they're (the pupils) are fasting, they should not be doing PE'. I said, 'well, I'm fasting and I'm teaching PE'. So, if you actually go according to the religious teachings, there is nothing there to say that you can use Ramadan as an excuse (to be exempt from PE)," the expert continued.
"I wish such guidance had been in place when I was a student and subsequently a PE teacher at secondary school... I’ve been surprised but extremely happy at the positive reaction. I’ve received a lot of emails, phone calls and messages via social media from individuals and organisations who want to know more. This tells me the guidance is needed and has benefits beyond school sport. This has the potential to impact grassroots and elite sport as well as workforces across the country. We are excited at the possibilities and determined to explore each and every one."
Christine Dalby-Ali, a hockey coach in Birmingham, has led projects to encourage more Muslim children to play sport (Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)His 20-page paper outlines ways both teachers and pupils can be supported in PE lessons throughout Ramadan. These include adapting exercises in trampoline classes, allowing pupils more rest breaks, reducing the intensity of activities in gymnastics and encouraging use of students in officiating roles in cricket and rounders.
It's attracted interest from Department of Education, NHS and police forces, and has been warmly welcomed by Muslim athletes, including Haseebah Abdullah, the first hijab-wearing boxing coach in England, and coach Christine Dalby at Harborne Hockey Club in Birmingham. Haseebah, the first hijab-wearing boxing coach in England who many will remember from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, said: "Physical education can be inclusive. Just being aware of young people fasting makes them feel heard, which makes them feel included. That’s the recipe for success. By making small changes, such as scheduling PE at the end of the day, we can create an environment where young people are safeguarded and also encouraged to enjoy Ramadan."
Boxing coach Haseebah Abdullah, pictured holding the Queen's Baton during the Commonwealth Games in 2022, has backed the research (Getty Images for Birmingham 202)
The university lecturer, 37, said the guidance will help finally safeguard children and teaching staff (Birmingham City University)Christine added: "As Muslims, we’re encouraged to keep healthy and also fast during Ramadan. It’s important to tie these together and consider how to maintain physical activity in school and university while fasting. For example, reducing intensity level or adjusting the schedule to fit with Ramadan and time spent in evening prayers, reading the Quran, or socialising with family."
Besides the fasting component of Ramadan, charity work in local communities typically increases—in a similar nature to the Christian observance of Lent — and Muslims increase in spiritual devotional acts such as prayer and strengthening family ties.
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Specifically in England, physical inactivity directly contributes to one in six adult deaths, Sport England data shows. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one adult killer in the UK. Regular childhood physical activity reduces the onset of such non-communicable diseases, World Health Organisation said in 2022.
Vicci Wells, Head of Sport at the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Ensuring regular access to PE, sport and activity is vital for the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of children and young people. This valuable guidance empowers teachers and practitioners to collaborate with pupils, creating an environment in which they can safely and happily participate in PE and sport during Ramadan. It is a useful resource for schools, wider sport sector providers as well as young people and their families."
The Department of Education says it is aware of the guidance drafted by Dr Ifran Khawaja from Birmingham City University
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