Question : Sports and Physical Education in Schools

(a) whether the Government proposes to make sports/physical education a compulsory subject at school level and to set up sports infrastructure in all the schools in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government also proposes to introduce scholarships scheme to promote sports persons at school level and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the other steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to promote sports/physical education in all the educational institutions in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) The National Curriculum Framework-2005 has recommended Health and Physical Education, which includes sports, as a compulsory subject area from class I to X and optional subject at Senior Secondary stage. Education, being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and the majority of the schools being under the jurisdiction of the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments, it is for the respective State/UT Governments to provide sports infrastructure in schools.
(b) There is no proposal to introduce scholarships scheme to promote sports persons at school level for the present.
(c) Education, being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, it is for the State/UT Governments to take appropriate steps to promote sports/physical education in the educational institutions in their respective State/UT. The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) framework recognizes the importance of sports in providing quality secondary education in the country to ensure holistic development of the students. The scheme encourages the States/UTs to focus on sports, culture activities, activity based learning, exposure to life skills with respect to health, nutrition etc. Under RMSA, Rs. 50,000/- per school (School Annual Grant) is given as part of recurring grant for miscellaneous activities including purchase of sport equipment and other sports related activities. Also, there is a provision for approving an amount of Rs. 20,000/- per school (maximum of 100 schools per year per State/UT) is for purchase of sport equipment for Government Secondary Schools. Further, the proposals for organizing school sports tournament (@ 50,000 per district) are approved based on receipt of viable proposals from the States.

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