New sports policy: One game mandatory for schoolchildren

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 14

The Punjab School Sports Policy-2018, issued by the Education Department, has made it mandatory for all students to opt for at least one sports activity in their classes.

Forwarded to the schools, the policy intends to grade students for which they will be evaluated three times in a year. The grades will be mentioned in the result cards of the students. Students of Class XI and XII are required to pay Rs 20 per month and students of Class IX and X Rs 15 per month for a special fund under the new policy.

Coordinated by different committees at the block, district and state level, a sports calendar for the primary and secondary classes will be separately handed out before the commencement of the academic session. Besides popular games, schools have been asked to give special attention to traditional games like kho kho and kabaddi.

Cleared by Education Minister OP Soni, the “Khedo Punjab” policy, drafted by the committee under Secretary (School Education) Krishan Kumar, has been posted to schools. The committee members who participated in the finalisation of the policy included hockey Olympian Pargat Singh, former international hockey player Sukhvir Grewal and Deputy Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Amrit Kaur Gill.

Ensuring maximum student participation in sports activities, teachers have been assigned a special role in recognising and harnessing raw talent of students. Each school will be required to constitute a special committee for executing the sports calendar. A seven-member committee will be constituted at the block level and a nine- member committee at the district level before April 15 every year. A panel of umpires needs to be cleared before the commencement of games.

Schools have been categorically asked to bear the expenses of the rent for their stay, wherever applicable, and also provide refreshments from their school funds.

Panel member not convinced

Despite best intentions, the unscientifically designed policy will make no noticeable difference on the ground. There is a mention of PT and yoga in the morning. Are children expected to bring two dresses to school? Where are trained yoga teachers? In short, the policy document does not talk about the way it will be implemented Sukhvir Grewal, Committee member