The Impact of the Omani Physical Education Curriculum on Physical Fitness

School environment is an ideal setting to enhance physical fitness, taking into consideration accessibility to almost all students. However, it is important to use the scheduled time for Physical Education (PE) optimally and efficiently so as to improve the levels of the physical fitness components. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of PE curriculum on five physical fitness components of male students, namely (a) cardiovascular fitness; (b) body composition; (c) flexibility; (d) muscle strength; and (e) endurance). The experimental study was conducted on a sample of n = 72 students and the gap between the pre-test and the post-test were eight weeks. The experimental group enrolled in an additional weekly 40-min PE session that included a programme to improve the physical fitness components with medium intensity of 70-75% of maximum heart rate (intervention), w hile the control group enrolled in an additional physical education session followed the school physical education curriculum. The t-test analysis showed statistically significant improvements in the physical fitness components for both groups, with more obvious benefits for the experimental group. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education may consider increasing the number of physical education sessions and design a PE curriculum with various physical activities which can enhance and improve physical fitness.