Games and sports play a key role in student life and the Centre is actively considering a proposal to make sports compulsory by including it in the curriculum subjects. Besides physical fitness, sporting activity inculcates a team spirit in addition to promoting sportsmanship and enhancing mental strength.
Not many schools in Krishna district have a proper playground where children can play games that are an important component of their growth process.
The Government-run schools are known to be of low academic standards. In addition to lack of infrastructure facilities, a perennial shortage of teaching staff reflects in the students' academic performance. Cashing in on this disadvantage, private schools have mushroomed in every possible spot and corporate sector has benefited the most by this spawning trend. Walk through any street and you come across a board of a ‘concept' school or an ‘international' school.
Despite charging heavy tuition fee and other charges, many of these schools do not have a playground. Students do need ample space for recreational activity, a way to get away from their hectic academic schedules.
Some of the parents find themselves in a quandary. “Due to low standard of education in State-run schools, I send my daughter to a private school. But they are no better. Especially with regard to games and sports facilities, schools in the public sector are far better as they are built on vast pieces of land,” rues a mother. Some of the private schools in city operate in small buildings or even in houses. “While seeking recognition, schools which do not have these facilities show open place in the vicinity promising to utilise it for sports activities for the time being. They are expected to create their own facility at a later stage. But taking undue advantage of a few loopholes, they violate the stipulated norms. I intend to focus on infrastructure facilities in schools,” says Krishna District Education Officer Devanand Reddy.
