Suheil F. Tandon
How has physical education in the country fared and what is the roadmap for the future? So far, the ‘sports for excellence’ approach has blurred the lines between sport and PE in the education system. Now, however, the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity needs to be driven through primary and secondary schooling. A good start would be to make PE compulsory like all other subjects. It must also be recognized as a distinctive subject separate from sports, and its parameters clearly outlined, encompassing best practices globally while remaining culturally and locally relevant.
Category: Shaping up Schools
Building blocks of Indian sports
R. Ram Mohan Singh
A five-year plan to manage and develop sports would be the way forward to change the present scenario existing in schools.
The key challenge is to stop treating sports as a stop-gap arrangement and try and set up long-term regular and systematic training at the school level. This will bring the much required change in pushing up India’s hopes towards excellence in global sports.
No policy for PE?
Hriday Kant Dewan
In most schools, PE is just a limited use activity and remains secondary to the academic and curricular purpose. The effort is not towards building opportunities that are participative and inclusive but towards individual training. Can schools begin to think of PE as a goal that includes diversity, team spirit and social interaction where children learn to enjoy, bond and share?
Playing outside school spaces
Anirban Ghosh
Physical Education needs to be redefined from its present idea of regimented drills, marching and annual sports days. Children must have access to proper play spaces to engage in rigorous physical activity either through games, free play or any other sport. A look at how sports can be taken out of the confines of school spaces.