New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is working on a system to make sports an integral part of the education system, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.
He said that sports will no longer be treated as an extra curricular activity. It will be treated just like any other subject in the school curriculum or as an option.
He was speaking at an event here on Tuesday, expressing confidence that India’s medal tally at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year will be much better than the previous editions.
The Minister’s emphasis on sports comes at a time when the draft education policy has talked about giving enhanced focus on sports activities for students. The final draft has, in fact, suggested giving weightage to a student’s performance in sporting events during admission to premier institutes to IITs and NITs.
“Sports is the central part of the education system now. There is a major shift we are taking forward. Prime Minister is very clear in that,” he said. The Minister informed that he was in touch with the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
“I have already attended the cabinet meeting and I have already spoken there. Now, it is under preparation (to include sports in the education system). The policy has been accepted. How to implement, when to start, this will depend on the preparation. Modi government is treating sports as greatest priority ever and that is how India will become a sporting powerhouse in future,” he said.