Let children grow by playing and learning

Education aims at the physical, mental, and intellectual development of children. A generation with good physical habits, healthy thinking, and strong mental skills cannot be created by making them memorise textbooks. Learning and exams should not become something that scares students. Education must also help bring out and encourage the natural talents in every child. That is why schools include arts and sports in the curriculum. But unfortunately, in our state, textbooks are given more importance, and arts and sports activities are pushed aside.

Physical education periods and arts periods are often taken over to teach other subjects. Acting on a petition filed by teacher award winner Sugathan L. Sooranad asking for a solution to this issue, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights recently ordered that in public schools from Class 1 to 12, arts and sports periods should not be used to teach other subjects. The Commission had asked the General Education Secretary, the Director of General Education, and the SCERT Director to submit reports. But only the SCERT submitted one. The SCERT Director informed the Commission that periods for physical and mental well-being and for identifying sports talents are already set aside in all classes, and using this time for other subjects goes against the curriculum’s principles.

Following this, on November 17, the Director of General Education issued instructions to all education sub-directors, district and sub-district officers, and head teachers not to replace arts and sports periods with other subjects. The Commission also noted that it was serious that the Education Secretary and the Director of General Education did not submit reports on such an important matter. However, most schools in the state do not have specialist teachers for arts and sports. There are no physical education teachers in 86% of UP schools, 45% of high schools, and in all primary and higher secondary schools. There are only 1,869 physical education teachers for nearly 40 lakh students from LP to higher secondary level. The number of specialist teachers in other subjects is also decreasing.

At the same time, instead of appointing teachers to implement the Child Rights Commission’s order, the Education Department is exploring online physical education classes. Making children sit in classrooms in front of computers without letting them go outdoors will only increase digital addiction, which is already worrying. Recently, during the closing ceremony of the state school sports meet, the Education Minister said that the government plans to bring a policy ensuring every child learns at least one sport. If this promise is sincere, the required facilities must be created. Society needs not only good doctors and engineers, but also good athletes and artists. Above all, it needs a healthy generation. The order of the Child Rights Commission is a reminder of that. Let our children learn by playing, laughing, and enjoying. Let that learning make them better citizens.