To speed up the process of catching talents young and grooming them into formidable sportspersons of tomorrow, the District Panchayat has launched a scheme named ‘SPEED’ (Sports Promotion and Education Empowerment by District Panchayat) in association with the District Sports Council.
The scheme was launched a at a special function held here on Saturday. Olympian P.T. Usha inaugurated the project, which will also offer financial support for the selected children in the district.
District Panchayat President Kanathil Jameela said the support of regional sports academies and a sports club would be utilised to implement the project. “We have enrolled three regional training academies at Pulloorampara, Maniyoor, and Chakkittappara under the scheme. A sports club at Kadalundi too will be offering their support for the project,” she added.
To offer quality coaching and supply the required sports accessories for the children, the District Panchayat would spend Rs.15 lakh in the 2013-14 fiscal. Allotment of additional fund, too, would be considered after the utilisation of the already sanctioned amount.
Focus
According to Ms. Jameela, the district had several sports promotion programmes in educational institutions where the focus was mainly on improving the already skilled students. “In this scheme, we will try to find out new talents through result-oriented training programmes and help them to be part of the district’s future sports initiatives,” she added.
In addition to the existing teachers’ panel, a resource pool of retired physical education teachers and experienced sports instructors would be formed for conducting the regional training programmes. Steps would also be taken to utilise the coaching expertise of sports personalities from the police department.
Along with the scientific training, the enrolled students would also be given protein-rich food. The Parents Teachers Association of each school would be entrusted with the responsibility to look into the proper implementation of the scheme. According to Ms. Jameela, the benefits of the scheme would be available for high school and higher secondary school children in the initial stage. Children belonging to Upper Primary and Lower Primary classes would be covered in the second phase, she added.
