For all-round development of children sports are as vital
The significance of incorporating sports in education has been widely acknowledged because sports foster holistic development by improving physical and psychological well-being while also enhancing cognitive capacities. As stated in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning), holistic education integrates physical education and sports with the education curriculum. While participating in sports and taking part in physical activities outside of the classroom, the students learn real-life lessons through the fundamental principles of sports such as fair play, working as a team, spirit of winning and losing, cooperation, discipline, tolerance, respect for rules etc.
Given the benefit it provides for social and personal growth, increasing access and participation in sports is a key development objective. These abilities help in promoting social cohesion among communities and cultures and are necessary for future engagement in group activities and professional life. NEP 2020 further stress upon the interaction of sports in pedagogical approaches that utilize physical activities including indigenous sports in pedagogical practices to help in developing skills such as collaboration, discipline, taking initiative and responsibility, self-direction, teamwork and citizenship etc. It focuses on sports integrated learning in the classroom to help students adopt fitness as a lifelong attitude and achieve the related life skills as laid down in the FIT India movemenEducation t. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) which is in the formulation stage will include sports, fitness and other aspects of the school curriculum. The “FIT India” movement has been initiated to take the nation forward on the path of fitness and wellness with a vision to bring about behavioural changes and move towards a more physically active lifestyle. The main goals and objectives of this movement are to promote fitness as easy, fun and free; spread awareness on fitness and various physical activities that promote fitness through focused campaigns; encourage indigenous sports; make fitness reach every level.
The mandate of FIT India is to create awareness about the importance of physical activity and to encourage schools to incorporate sports from an early stage which is a prerequisite if we want to develop athletes of the highest calibre who can compete at the international level. Several new and innovative initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen the impact and spread awareness of FIT India as a movement. The centrally sponsored scheme of “Samagra Shiksha” has been aligned with this policy. Under the scheme, an annual sports grant has been provided to all government schools with an additional sports grant of Rs 25,000 available to schools from where at least two students have won medals at the National level. FIT India Mission encourages schools to organize a FIT India School Week in November/December. States should be encouraged to prioritise one game “One state,One sport” outlook based on the available talent pool, natural interest and available infrastructure. This will bring a focused approach and also allow for the optimum utilization of existing resources in the state. To develop active sporting culture, there is a need to organize games at local, district, state and national levels. As is evident, sports talent lies in rural areas and underprivileged families where budding sports persons are tough due to their upbringing in difficult conditions. The hilly areas with tough living conditions have the potential of generating good athletes. The nation needs more leagues and competitions at different levels on higher frequencies to increase participation and to provide the necessary platform for young athletes to hone their skills. Our schools, colleges and universities possess large untapped potential. The need of the hour is to provide sports facilities to the upcoming sportspersons, provide them facilities and a conducive environment to nurture themselves.
(The writer is a senior journalist and Chairman of the Panwar Group of Institutions, Solan, Himachal Pradesh)
