Sports facility at Blind School proves a boon

Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, February 8

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The first of its kind sports facility at Blind School, Jamalpur, is proving to be a boon for the visually impaired students studying here.

Constructed at a cost of around Rs 42 lakh, the sports facility was inaugurated on January 25.

This is the first such sports facility for blind students in the state. Facilities of a gymnasium, activity room, football ground and a multipurpose ground for cricket, discus throw, shot put, athletics track and long jump have been developed on the school premises.

Manjinder Singh, superintendent and in-charge, Government Institute for Blind, Ludhiana, said the complex houses Blind School, Braille Press and a teacher training centre for training teachers for visually impaired students.

He said ever since the sports facility had been inaugurated, a large number of students had been availing of full benefits of it.

Apart from providing good quality education to the visually impaired students, special emphasis is also given on motivating the students to participate in sports activities. He said that one such student named Kapil Dev, who had studied in this school, is now an international level cricket player. He said that Kapil Dev had also participated in the T-20 India vs Sri Lanka cricket match that took place in the city last year.

As many as 64 visually impaired students are studying in the Blind School here and all expenses of these students are borne by the Punjab Government.

The gymnasium and activity room are already functional while the work on the construction of sports grounds would be completed shortly.

The Department of Social Security and Development of Women and Children, Punjab, runs the blind school in Jamalpur area of the city.

First in state

• Constructed at a cost of around Rs 42 lakh, the sports facility was inaugurated on January 25. This is the first such sports facility for blind students in the state