Both physical education teachers and the Ministry of Education see the problem and hope the new curriculum will address it.

Herem approached Education and Research Minister Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) with his concerns about the low level of physical fitness among school leavers, i.e., conscripts, as revealed by the results of the EDF physical fitness test.

The minimum requirements for the test are to perform at least 40 arm curls with crutches in two minutes, 46 sit-ups in the prone position at the same time, and a running time of up to 15.54 minutes for 3.2 kilometers.

"According to last year's results, only 28 percent of soldiers were able to meet the minimum requirements for new recruits. This means that 72 percent of conscripts failed to meet the minimum fitness requirements," Herem said.

He therefore proposed an increase in the amount of general physical training for the development of strength and endurance in the national curriculum.

Herem also suggests that secondary school students complete the Defense Forces physical ability test (KVKT), and that those who struggle with it could benefit from the Defense Forces sports preparation programs.

He also suggested that the secondary school program include preparation for a 10-kilometer sprint with a 10-kilogram backpack, as this is important in preparation for military service.

Ingrit Keerma, a physical education teacher at Kuusalu Secondary School and vice president of the Estonian Physical Education Association (Eesti Kehalise Kasvatuse Liit), said that Herem's concerns were justified, as so many of the new recruits fail the test.

"I agree that the physical fitness of children has gone backwards; for both girls and boys," she said.

Keerma said that this happened gradually rather than unexpectedly. For example, if you look at tests from 20 years ago, the general average performance has already fallen.

"The welfare society has led to a situation where students can choose not to do it, don't want to do it, or can't be bothered to do it, and there is this kind of hand-wringing and indulgence," she said.

"This trend has been growing, and, of course, phones and computers are taking up more time as well. Kids are no longer spending so much time outdoors," the teacher said.

According to Keerma, the extent to which children care about their own physical fitness depends on several of factors, including the school's sporting prowess, the young person's surroundings and attitudes, and the general flow of information.

Keerme said the tests recommended by Herem could be taken in high school, or even after basic school if the student goes to vocational training.

New curricula should alleviate the problem

Kertu Tort, the Ministry of Education's chief expert on general education, said that the new curriculum, which will be introduced in September, already incorporates many of these suggestions.

"It has the measurement of students' physical abilities as one of the learning outcomes," he said. The curriculum also includes activities like hiking and trekking.

"The Defense Forces have been advising on how to improve these outcomes for secondary school graduates, and they have added hiking as a physical education topic," he said.

He added that while the first upper secondary school year involves a smaller hike of up to a few hours, the next school year involves a day hike, and the third school year involves an overnight hike. For the upper secondary level, this means a camp-type trip, and, according to Tort, the Ministry of Education and Culture has also recommended that many schools cooperate with the Defense Forces.

The ministry's spokesperson said that the problem is more complex than the physical education course, which is why so few school graduates pass the test.

"In today's modernized curriculum, it is precisely the support of student autonomy and intrinsic motivation that has come to the forefront, so that the student understands clearly what he or she is doing something for, so that things are not done for the sake of a grade, the sake of the teacher, or because the curriculum says so," Tort said.

So under the new curriculum, students will be able to have their abilities assessed individually and, depending on the results, receive tailored advice on how to improve their performance and health, such as which exercise programs to implement.

"In this regard, the shift is fairly significant. Rather, a more personalized approach is needed to guarantee that the student has an evident knowledge of the amount to which such everyday exercise and strenuous activity in PE class is related to their whole physical ability and general health, including mental health," Tort said.

Thus, according to Tort, the new curriculum is already in line with Herem's ideas but not in as stringent a form; for example, there are no distance or backpack weight limits for trekking, as Herem suggested.

Tort also said that schools are already conducting such tests at the secondary school level and analyzing the results to determine their own physical capabilities.

Keerma emphasized that in today's security environment, young people must be fit and capable of coping and that parents must also avoid raising children to be helpless and dependent on others.

"This message could go out very strongly in society: that we need our men, and women too, to be fit," he said.

Herem also highlighted the war in Ukraine, which he said vividly demonstrated the life-or-death importance of good physical fitness. His letter to Minister Kallas aimed to make military personnel feel the urgency and importance of their training in the face of such real-life implications.

"The purpose of military service is to train the reserve units necessary for the defense of Estonia so that they remain fit for service under difficult combat conditions," Herem said. "The Defense Forces aim for 90 percent of conscripts to meet the minimum physical fitness requirements," he added.

The Defense Forces test the physical fitness of conscripts three times during their service, and according to the statistics of the past four years, the pass rate of the week 12 Defense Forces physical fitness test has been stable at 60 percent.

Herem said that to achieve this goal, the majority of conscripts would need to meet the minimum physical fitness requirements at the beginning of their service, which could be raised to 90 percent in the Defense Forces.

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