Sports as Compulsory Subject
Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted a Committee for integration of Sports in Higher Education as part of New Education Policy consultations. The Terms of Reference of the Committee include charting out a blue print for the integration of sports within the University framework, recommending the administrative structure required to govern the process of integration, identifying the priority areas of sports infrastructure including the choice of specific sports and creating necessary partnerships with internationally acclaimed universities, which are well endowed with sports infrastructure and where sports education is well developed. Further, out of the 33 themes identified for consultation on New Education Policy, one of the themes under School Education is Comprehensive Education Ethics, Physical Education, Arts & Crafts, Life Skills". It has been stated in the background note that our students need to have a holistic development which cannot be achieved only through information and instruction. Knowledge needs sensitization to values, ethics, appreciating arts, physical education, sports and life skills.
The Government has undertaken a collaborative, multi-stakeholder and multi-pronged consultation process for formulating the New Education Policy (NEP), which included online, grassroots and national level thematic deliberations. The Government of India has constituted a Committee for the Evolution of the New Education Policy (NEP) which will examine the outcome documents, recommendations, suggestions and views received and submit a Draft National Education Policy as well as a Framework for Action (FFA). The draft reports of the Committee for integration of Sports in Higher Education and also outcome documents of the theme Comprehensive Education Ethics, Physical Education, Arts & Crafts, Life Skills" have been forwarded to the Committee for the Evolution of the New Education Policy (NEP).
This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
