Education Minister, Reverend Ronald Thwaites, says the Government is looking to make physical education (PE) mandatory for all school-aged children, in an effort to further encourage health and wellness in schools.

Thwaites said this will ensure that physical education is no longer "an optional extra, but a necessary part of the school experience."

"By the end of November, I'm promised that we will have for (the scrutiny of the Ministry of Health) a comprehensive programme for the emphasis on physical education in schools," he noted.

Thwaites made the announcement during the launch of 'Caribbean Wellness Day', at the Ministry of Health's downtown Kingston offices, on September 3.

Caribbean Wellness Day 2012 was observed on September 8, under the theme: 'Healthy Schools make Healthy Communities that build Healthy Countries', and was organised in partnership with the Ministries of Health, and Education, and the National Health Fund.

Meanwhile, the Ministries of Health, and Education have also combined resources in an effort to promote healthy lifestyle practices among all school-aged children across the island.

The programme, which is dubbed the 'Health Promoting Schools Initiative', is geared towards empowering schools to facilitate healthy choices and the development of healthy behaviour from a young age.

Under the programme, areas to be addressed include nutrition, physical activity, mental health, substance abuse, environmental health, violence and injury prevention, and reproductive health.