Now, government makes PT must for schoolkids in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The state education department will soon issue a circular asking schools to ensure students are not deprived of their physical training (PT) periods. This follows complaints from parents that children from class IX upwards were taught other subjects in that time.

“This has become a routine for students studying in class IX. After they complete their quarterly examination teachers use the physical education period to start class X portions. This only causes further stress among students,” said P. Lakshminarayanan, parent of a class 10 student in a government school. He had reportedly approached higher officials from the department, recently, with this complaint. “My daughter used to also play in the school throwball team. She had to stop that too since teachers demanded that all students focus more on their studies. One hour of physical activity is not going to make them perform poorly. Schools must understand that,” he said.

A senior official said “Every school in the state has two hours allotted per week for physical education and sports. It is compulsory that schools adhere to this schedule even when students move to higher secondary classes. This aspect cannot be ignored since it is key to their holistic development.”

P Padma, principal, Government Girls High School, T Nagar, lauded the department’s initiative. “We have seen that every time children come back to class with more enthusiasm and rigour after playing sports. It is extremely important that all students are allowed to play in that one hour slot,” she said.

S Arumainathan, state president of the Tamil Nadu Students and Parents Welfare Association, said that it was also important for authorities to follow up and inspect schools regularly to ensure that they were implementing the rules. “It is a completely wrong ideology that letting children play during school hours will make them perform poorly in exams. It instead helps build positive spirit and makes them better human beings.”

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had recently made it mandatory for all schools affiliated to it to have one hour dedicated to health and physical education every day for all students studying from classes I to XII from the coming academic year.