The Kozhikode district panchayat is planning to implement the Sports Promotion and Education Empowerment (SPEED) programme in 18 schools this year. The project, started two years ago in collaboration with the District Sports Council, is aimed at improving physical fitness of students and promoting their sporting skills.
A school will be selected for a ‘game unit’ based on certain criteria. Each unit will focus on one game. This year, 23 such units will be set up. Once selected, financial aid, and academic and infrastructure assistance will be provided to better the school’s performance in the chosen fields. The units will focus on football, volleyball, basketball, athletics, kalari, swimming, and taekwondo with the help of sports trainers and physical education teachers (PET).
“The district panchayat had organised a workshop for PETs from the district to brief them on the project and the selection criteria,” said K.P. Sheeba, Education Standing Committee chairperson of the district panchayat. “Most schools have a PET. But there is no specific curriculum for them to follow. This is a serious problem in sports promotion,” said Ms. Sheeba.
Once a ‘game unit’ is set up, a school can select 80 students for training. “Interested students from nearby schools may also be admitted for training based on merit,” said K.K. Sivadasan, education programmes coordinator for the district panchayat. Each unit would be given an aid of Rs.40,000 initially for training. “Sports kits and other equipment will also be provided,” he said.
Availability of school grounds, interest and skills of students, specialisation of the PET, and preference of the Parent-Teacher Association, among others, will be considered while selecting a school. The district panchayat has also decided to give financial assistance to 11 sports academies under the District Sports Council for training under SPEED. “Each academy will get Rs.70,000 as annual aid for training,” said Mr. Sivadasan.
