Warning letters from schools are being issued to parents of children who appear o be unfit.

Secondary students will be compelled to take an annual fitness test. If they fail, their parents will be informed that they are at risk of heart disease, brittle bones and obesity.

Government's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson summarized the plan.

He cautioned that lack of exercise is placing a bigger burden on the economy than smoking, costing £8.3billion a year compared with £5.2billion.

However, opposition parties did not seem to be taken in by this plan.

Initiating such a plan is in the betterment of children as well as parents. If these warning letters reach home, parents will become cautious about children's health and encourage them to exercise to prevent risks of heart diseases.

Sir Liam suggests the amount of exercise children aged three and four should be doing, since 'many spend too much time on sedentary activities'.

According to Government guidelines, pupils should do at least two hours of PE a week.

It is true that today's lifestyle has made students stationary like a potato that refuses to budge. If guidelines are drawn out, it will not only increase physical activity among children, but also keep life threatening diseases at bay.

David Vickers, Registrar at the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, "strongly welcomed" Liam's conclusions.

He said, "We continue to be extremely concerned about child obesity as it damages children's physical and mental health and the harmful effects continue in to adulthood".

He added that physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and all parents should mull over if their child is getting enough regular exercise.

The Government should be praised for taking such a step for if our children are healthy, our future will be healthier.