New Delhi:  Access to playgrounds and engagement of physical education instructor are mandatory requirements for all schools under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the government of India told the Lok Sabha on Thursday (01 December 2016).

The Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Mr Vijay Goel said that schools must have a playground, engage a part time instructor for physical education in upper primary schools and provide play material, games and sports equipment, as required.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Mr Vijay Goel said in the Lok Sabha yesterday that a scheme called “Khelo India – National Programme for Development of Sports” is being implemented by this Ministry as a Central Sector Scheme from the current financial year 2016-17. The sports ministry through Sports Authority of India (SAI) is implementing following Sports Promotional Schemes in the country where the entire population including girls from village and rural area are encouraged to participate and get training in various sports: National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC); Special Area Games (SAG); SAI Training Centres (STC);  Centre of Excellence (CoE); and SAI National Academies.

There are four Sports Training Centre exclusively for women at STC Badal (Punjab), STC Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), STC Medikeri (Karnataka) and SAG Tellicherry (Kerala).

Mr  Goel said that Ministry of Human Resource Development has, inter-alia, intimated that as per the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005, Health and Physical Education, which includes sports, is a compulsory subject from classes I to X and an optional subject at the higher secondary stage. However, education is a subject in the Concurrent List and most of the schools are under the purview of the State/ Union Territory Government.