 SUGGESTIONS OF SH. P. SUDHAKARAN,
 MINISTER FOR SPORTS & YOUTH
 AFFAIRS, GOVT. OF KERALA,
 TRIVENDRUM

COMMITTEE OF CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD ON EDUCATION (CABE) ON SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION-RECOMMENDATIONS-

*Pandalam Sudhakaran,

Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs,

Government of Kerala.

Introduction

India has got very poor performance in sports at international level. She has a very poor base from which sports develops and this poor base is reflected in her poor sports standards. Lack of a sports culture among them asses results in poor participation in sports at all levels. Poor participation is the main factor due to which our sports standard are poor. Poor standards and performance have not allowed enough interest to be generated among the rulers,administrators, industrialists etc. about sports. This is what is mainly responsible for lack of enough opportunities to sports persons to rise and gain jobs and money in our society. In turn, lack of these opportunities results in lesser interest and lesser participation in sports which keeps sports standards at a lower level only. Thus, it is a vicious circle. For breaking this deadlock and raising our sports standards up, we have to promote mass participation in sports. For ensuring mass participation, we have to generate enough interest in sports. One way to do this would be by motivating rulers, administrators, industrialists etc. for creating more job opportunities to sports persons and thus, ensuring that sports becomes a good source of livelihood in out society. This is being attempted by the Government through various methods. The other method to ensure mass participation in sports is to make sports and physical activities, an integral part of our school and college curriculum. Teaching sports and physical activities as apart of curriculum only, can be said to be the real physical education. The present method of teaching sports as an extra curricular activity can not be truly categorised as an education. Thus, the physical education being imparted at present is a misnomer.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development in their Order No. F.8-36/92-PN.I dated 3rd May, 1993 has set up a Sub-Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education under the Chairmanship of Shri K.P. Singh Deo, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting to suggest ways and means of integrating physical education and sports with the learning process. The Sub-Committee has the following terms of reference:

"To examine and suggest measures for making sports and physical education including yoga an integral part of the learning process at all stages.

incentive measures for both students and teachers to take up sports and physical education activities and

measures for developing low cost sports and physical education infrastructure in schools and colleges and its optimal utilisation."

Committees and recommendations on the subject are not lacking; but attempts on their implementation over the years have not met with the desired results, mainly due to practical problems, lack of adequate resources etc. In the light of the above, the aim of the present committee was to chalk out suitable programmes and procedures which are susceptible for easy implementation. We are also clearly of the view that unless there is an element of compulsion the administrators, teachers, students and above all the parents will not seriously consider physical education as an essential part of teaching and education. The demand of parents to lay aside sports and concentrate on books alone should also change.

National Policy on Education, 1986

As Implemented in Kerala

National Policy on Education, 1986 had identified integration of physical education and sports in the learning process and evalution of performance as a key area. Government of Kerala had adopted this Policy like many other states. Following action was taken in Kerala as apart of implementation of this Policy.

(1) Attainment of pupils at school level in non- scholastic subjects, viz Art Education, Work Experience, Physical Education and Sports and Games are to be evaluated and wightage given in their class promotions from standard II to IX. Cumulative records are to be maintained for recording their competency in the above non-scholastic areas.

(2) For Health and Physical Education following periods per week have been fixed: Class I-4, Class II-4, Class III-4, Class IV-3, Class V-2, Class VI-2, Class VII-2,Class VIII-2, Class IX-1 and Class X-1.

(3) Government have laid that steps will be taken for appointing at least one physical education teacher in every Upper Primary and High School in the State.

(4) Prize Money Scheme, UGC Scheme and Infrastructure Development Scheme have been utilised to raise sports infrastructure in schools and colleges.

Present Scenario:

The steps taken by the Government to implement the National Policy on Education, 1986 with regard to sports and physical education, are not satisfactory at all. Physical activities in the schools and colleges are even now treated as one of the extra- curricular activities. Under economy measures government has banned creation of new posts, which has resulted in stoppage of appointment of physical education teachers. Even the retirement vacancies are not being filled in. At a result, the number of physical education teachers is getting reduced. Fee collected from students for sports are very minute and cannot facilitate any significant physical education programme. Due to insignificant allocation of funds in this sector, nothing important can be done with regard to development of sports infrastructure and supply of sports equipments. The curriculum from the lowest level on wards is so much overloaded that both parents and students have usually no time to think or act beyond that. These trends need to be changed.

Recommendations:

In order to integrate sports and physical activities in the currculum and ensure mass participation in sports. I would like to make following recommendations-

(1) Sports and Physical activities shall be made a compulsory part of educational curriculum Following inputs will be essential to achieve this-

(a) Sufficient number of teachers

(b) Equipments

(d) Compulsory syllabus/evaluatory tests

(e) Funds

Details of these inputs have been given below in the relevant paras.

(2) For promoting mass participation more emphasis has to be laid at primary and middle level.

(3) It may not be possible for many State Governments to appoint teachers in large numbers to cover all the schools. Such a number of qualified teachers will also not be available. We shall think of training the available teachers of other subjects for carrying out physical training in all the schools and colleges. A long-term plan has to be drawn for this purpose, as even training other teachers in camps at Block-Level or so will take lot of time for want of trainers and funds both.

(4) In future every teachers trainee shall be developed as a sports teacher also. This can be done by making sports and physical education, a compulsory and evaluatory subject in teachers training courses.

(5) For every 1000 students, one physical education teacher must be appointed. These teachers shall liase, with other teachers and shall implement physical education programme in the entire school or college for all classes/divisions under close supervision of the Headmaster/ Principal.

(6) All State Governments are cutting the size of their force of employees as part of economy measures. This has resulted in no fresh appointment to the posts of Physical Education teachers and no creation of new posts for them. Thus, number of Physical Education Teachers instead of increasing has started decreasing. Central Government shall ddirect States in this regard to reverse the trends.

(7) Teachers of other subjects may be paid some suitable allowance when they are utilised for teaching sports and physical education.

(8) Emphasis should be laid on producing goad quality physical education teachers in the Universities and Physical Education Colleges. LNCPEs and SAI shall ensure that all Physical Education Colleges in the country have a standard syllabus and educational pattern. UGC shall help them in ensuring this. Wherever State Governments are running such colleges they shall be, run under the administrative control and Supervision of Department of Sports. Governments shall also prescribe proper qualifications in their Rules for the appointment of Physical Education Teachers and Lecturers. No course of less than one year duration shall be accepted as requisite qualification for the lowest grade of physical education teachers.

(9) Sports equipments shall be provided to schools under `Operation Blackboard Scheme'.

(10) A proper fee-structure shall be designed at the school and college level to facilitate managements to raise sufficient money for meeting the requirements of equiments, maintenance of play fields, organisation of school or college meets and for arranging participation of selected students at higher level competitions. A monthly fee of Rs. 3.00 per student at primary level, Rs. 5.00 at middle level, Rs. 10.00 at High School level, and Higher Secondary level and Rs. 15.00 at University level is recommended in this regard.

(11) It will not be possible to equip all schools with the playfields immediately. It has to be taken up in a phased manner under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme. State Government Schemes and other programmes. Construction of new playfields and improvement of existing playfields shall be undertaken tinder Jawahar Rojgar Yojana also. Joint Monitoring Committees comprising the authorities of Rural Development and Sports Department shall be set up at State-Level in this regard.

(12) Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sports Infrastructure Development shall be decentralised so that projects can be easily approved, assisted and completed. Central Government may periodically review the progress in this regard.

(13) NCERT and UGC shall develop suitable syllabi and evaluation tests for the school and university students, with the help of LNCPE. Separate syllabi and tests will he needed to be designed for handicapped students.

(14) Student at all levels have to undergo physical activities. They have to be tested and given marks for their performance. While failure in Physical Education need not lead to detention, the marks should be considered for all other purposes including percentage and ranking. At least 10% of the aggregate marks in each academic examination at all levels shall be fixed for Physical Education.

(15) For each class/division in the school, college or university, one period shall be set apart every day for sports and physical activities.

(16) Each school or college shall adopt such sports or physical activities for their students which are feasible to be organised or practiced there, keeping in mind the sports infrastructure available in the campus and near the campus. Indigenous sports and games may be preferred as they would need very little equipments.

(17) Both students and parents have no time to spare for sports due to the heavily loaded curriculum of other scholastic subjects. This may be reduced, so that parents and students can accept physical activities as a regular item in their life style.

(18) Activities such as NCC, N.S.S., Adventure Sports and Yoga etc. can not be taken up during the teaching hours due to various reasons and students will have to participate in these activities, only outside the teaching hours. Thus, these activities shall be treated as extra-curricular activities only and shall not be mixed up with Physical Education Curriculum at any level. Physical Education shall start as a compulsory curricular activity at all levels including colleges and universities.

(19) Annual competitions should be arranged compulsorily in every school and college. However, for this only those events may be adopted, in which there are infrastructural facilities available within the campus or near the campus. Every school or college shall also ensure its participation in inter-school for inter-collegiate competitions in at least two identified disciplines. Those schools or college which fail to comply with this shall be disqualified from getting any type of Government or UGC grant.

(20) State Governments shall be instructed to revise their Rules of School Games in accordance with the revised Prize Money Scheme of SAI. This will ensure more participation and encouragement to rural area schools.

(21) Under the District Officers of the Education Department there shall be a Gazetted Officer to monitor the Physical Education Programmes in the schools and/or colleges of the District.

(22) No new educational institution (school or college) may be granted recognition unless minimum sports infrastructure is available in them.

(23) A sports fund should be created in each State with the annual contributions from the State and Central Government on 50 : 50 basis. The annual contribution from both together shall be at least one rupee per person in the state (total shall be worked out as per population figures of 1991 Census). This fund shall be operated by Department of Sports in the State/Union Territory Governments and administered by a Joint Implementation Committee comprising of authorities of both Sports and Education Departments. This fund shall be used to provide assistance to promote sports in the schools, colleges and universities by organising competitions, championship trophies, supplying of equipments, maintaining playfields and running coaching centres including sports hostels.

(24) For a sports-student who is unable to take the examinations because of the participation in a coaching camp/tournament at University/State/Inter Varasity/National/International levels, special examinations shall be arranged soon after he is back in the institutions. State Governments and Universities shall ensure that such provisions are incorporated in their rules.

(25) Physical Education shall be adopted as an optional subject for various job-oriented competitive examinations/tests, such as Civil Services Examinations. This will promote more students to under Physical Education Courses during their academic career.