School draws up perfect game plan
Sheth C N Vidyavihar makes sports compulsory for all students to aid physical fitness and holistic development; sports attendance will affect overall result
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, April 17, 2013
http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2013041720130417024635359a7c00d6b/School-draws-up-perfect-game-plan.html
Sports has almost always received step-daughterly treatment. The weekly physical education (PE) class was, and is, often used to complete homework assignments, take a nap, or practise for some performance or the other. No more. Sports will no longer take a backseat to academics — not at Sheth C N Vidyavihar, anyway. The Ambawadi-based school is the first school in the city to make a daily sports period compulsory for all of its roughly 3,500 students. With the coming academic year, students from senior kindergarten to Class 12 will have to spend an hour and a half every day playing games and sports.
The school will charge an additional Rs 500 per half-yearly term and mark students based on their attendance in sports sessions. Failure in this would affect a student’s overall result. School authorities say the decision was taken in order to bring sports back into the mainstream, while helping students to grow into healthy, wellrounded individuals. “There has been a decline in the importance given to sports and PE. Parents do not consider these as important as academics, and many schools lack the required infrastructure. In fact, as much as 80% of city schools do not even have access to a playground. However, we don’t have that problem. So, the board of trustees has decided to make the most of the available infrastructure to help our students grow in a holistic manner,” said school director T J Purani.
“We have noticed that while our students do well academically, their interest and participation in sports has declined. This was affecting their physical development. We have a dedicated sports academy for our students. However, since there isn’t much social support for sports and games, these facilities were not being used to their optimal level,” he added. The school offers students the option between two shifts: 7–8.30 am or 5–6.30 pm. Students can also choose from about a dozen sports and games, including hockey, football, cricket, tennis, volleyball, handball, kabaddi, gilli-danda, kho-kho, tops (lattu) and marbles (lakhoti). Parental response has been mixed. Some parents have protested the move, while there are those who call it “extraordinary”.
One father, who asked not to be named, said, “How can they unilaterally make anything compulsory? How are our children supposed to fit in 180 minutes of sports every day, when they are already torn between homework, schoolwork and tuitions? They already are pressed for time. In addition, the school will also charge us for something we don’t even want. That’s not fair either. We’ve lodged a complaint with the school.” “Some parents have complained, but the board of trustees has already made a decision. We will, however, address parents’ concerns at the next meeting,” Purani said, adding, “We have made sports compulsory in order to get children to participate. Physical development is very important but parents are so focused on academics that they ignore that aspect of their children’s growth. We feel that this is the only way to get them involved.”
Dr Hasmukh Patel, the parent who called the school’s decision “extraordinary” said, “Kids today don’t do any physical activities. They spend time on the computer and in front of the TV. It’s great that CN is focusing on outdoor games.” Nikhil Shah, the parent of a Class 12 student, is more cautious in his response. “The problem is not too many parents’ and students’ consider sports a priority. For this to succeed, the school will need to build up an environment that will draw more kids and parents in. They will also need to consider students’ interests. There might be those who would prefer some other form of physical activity, like dance.” “Parents and students might initially see this as a waste of time and energy. However, it will be beneficial in the long run.
Not everyone can, or wants to, become a sportsperson but this will at least help the children to grow into healthy adults,” Purani said. C N Vidyavihar’s decision comes at a time when the state government has been trying to drum up interest in sports and games, with the Khel Mahakumbh— aimed at discovering and nurturing sporting talent at the grassroots level—successfully completing its second year, and a sports university being planned in Gandhinagar.
Sports has almost always received step-daughterly treatment. The weekly physical education (PE) class was, and is, often used to complete homework assignments, take a nap, or practise for some performance or the other. No more. Sports will no longer take a backseat to academics — not at Sheth C N Vidyavihar, anyway. The Ambawadi-based school is the first school in the city to make a daily sports period compulsory for all of its roughly 3,500 students. With the coming academic year, students from senior kindergarten to Class 12 will have to spend an hour and a half every day playing games and sports.
The school will charge an additional Rs 500 per half-yearly term and mark students based on their attendance in sports sessions. Failure in this would affect a student’s overall result. School authorities say the decision was taken in order to bring sports back into the mainstream, while helping students to grow into healthy, wellrounded individuals. “There has been a decline in the importance given to sports and PE. Parents do not consider these as important as academics, and many schools lack the required infrastructure. In fact, as much as 80% of city schools do not even have access to a playground. However, we don’t have that problem. So, the board of trustees has decided to make the most of the available infrastructure to help our students grow in a holistic manner,” said school director T J Purani.
“We have noticed that while our students do well academically, their interest and participation in sports has declined. This was affecting their physical development. We have a dedicated sports academy for our students. However, since there isn’t much social support for sports and games, these facilities were not being used to their optimal level,” he added. The school offers students the option between two shifts: 7–8.30 am or 5–6.30 pm. Students can also choose from about a dozen sports and games, including hockey, football, cricket, tennis, volleyball, handball, kabaddi, gilli-danda, kho-kho, tops (lattu) and marbles (lakhoti). Parental response has been mixed. Some parents have protested the move, while there are those who call it “extraordinary”.
One father, who asked not to be named, said, “How can they unilaterally make anything compulsory? How are our children supposed to fit in 180 minutes of sports every day, when they are already torn between homework, schoolwork and tuitions? They already are pressed for time. In addition, the school will also charge us for something we don’t even want. That’s not fair either. We’ve lodged a complaint with the school.” “Some parents have complained, but the board of trustees has already made a decision. We will, however, address parents’ concerns at the next meeting,” Purani said, adding, “We have made sports compulsory in order to get children to participate. Physical development is very important but parents are so focused on academics that they ignore that aspect of their children’s growth. We feel that this is the only way to get them involved.”
Dr Hasmukh Patel, the parent who called the school’s decision “extraordinary” said, “Kids today don’t do any physical activities. They spend time on the computer and in front of the TV. It’s great that CN is focusing on outdoor games.” Nikhil Shah, the parent of a Class 12 student, is more cautious in his response. “The problem is not too many parents’ and students’ consider sports a priority. For this to succeed, the school will need to build up an environment that will draw more kids and parents in. They will also need to consider students’ interests. There might be those who would prefer some other form of physical activity, like dance.” “Parents and students might initially see this as a waste of time and energy. However, it will be beneficial in the long run.
Not everyone can, or wants to, become a sportsperson but this will at least help the children to grow into healthy adults,” Purani said. C N Vidyavihar’s decision comes at a time when the state government has been trying to drum up interest in sports and games, with the Khel Mahakumbh— aimed at discovering and nurturing sporting talent at the grassroots level—successfully completing its second year, and a sports university being planned in Gandhinagar.
