By Y.S.Rana,CHANDIGARH—APRIL 29—Having put Chandigarh on the road of becoming an education hub across the country, the education department of Chandigarh Administration is all set to strengthen sports infrastructure in government schools in the city.
The Education Department is working on a two-pronged strategy to raise sporting standards in government schools. The department has identified ten government schools whose spacious unused playgrounds will be developed into playfields for various sports disciplines.
Disclosing this here, Mr Sandeep Hans, DPI (S), Chandigarh said that the main aim of the project was to provide coaching and training free of cost to students churn out players in various disciplines. As most of the students belonged to middle and poor families, they cannot afford to visit academies, he added.
Mr Hans further stated that department has decided to take this challenge and identified GMSSS-23 (cricket, football and handball); GMSSS-35 (six-a-side hockey field and lawn tennis courts); GMSSS-19 (swimming pool); GMSSS-44 (cinder volleyball court and clay tennis court); GMSSS-37 (football ); GSSS-Dhanas (Kabaddi and six-a-side football field); GSSS-Kaimbwala (Kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball); GMSSS-22 (football and 200 meter athletic track); GSSS-15 (hockey and basketball) and GMSSS-Manimajra (six-a-side hockey field) for development their playgrounds into sports fields.
Part one of the strategy revolves around developing these grounds into sports fields with an eye on imbibing in students the instinct and interest to join the field of sports to chanellize the energies of youth.
Working harder still on the second leg of the strategy, the education department has conceived plans for providing and equipping these with latest sports infrastructure to produce crop of players from government schools to compete with national players.
While talking to the Daily Post reporter, Mr Sandeep Hans, DPI (Schools), Chandigarh, stated that the engineering department of Chandigarh Administration had a number of big projects in its hands and may not have time to develop these grounds. Hence, the department has decided to develop these grounds through School Management Committees (earlier known as Parents-Teachers Associations) in association with the Chandigarh Sports Council, he added.
Mr Hans further stated that in majority of these schools have NIS trained coaches but lack of sports infrastructures, their services were not being utilized fully. After close of schools, in the evening budding talent would be allowed to get cutting-edge training from the coaches free of cost, he disclosed.
“Modalities are being worked out and soon one cricket ground (one has already inaugurated in GMSSS-35 recently) and two lawn tennis courts will come up in government schools under the project,” said Mr Hans.