Guruvayur: The development of sports aptitude from a young age is essential, yet in Kerala, many public schools are struggling to provide adequate physical education (PE) due to a severe shortage of PE teachers. According to a Mathrubhumi report, out of the 7,454 schools in the state, a staggering 5,585 schools, or 74 percent, lack sports teachers. This deficiency in teaching staff has significant implications for students’ physical development.
Despite the Physical Training (P.T.) periods are scheduled in the time table, these periods are either occupied by other subjects or students are released to roam the school grounds. The problem gets worse because there are only 1,869 PE teachers for 31 lakh students.
This issue came into focus during the recent state sports meet, where the scarcity of sports teachers became a topic of discussion. In the Upper Primary (UP) section, there are only 394 PE teachers for 11 lakh students, while the High School section, comprising 12 lakh students, has 1,475 teachers. Higher Secondary schools don’t have their own PE teachers, so students from those schools are usually taught by PE teachers from high schools.
Despite the shortage, the state maintains a mandatory sports period in every class. The schedule allocates two periods per week for classes 1 and 2, three periods for classes 3–7, two periods in class 8, one in classes 9–10, and two periods for higher secondary classes. Notably, Lower Primary (LP) classes have no PE periods due to the shortage of teachers.
Government directives stipulate that no other subjects should be taught during the PT periods. A textbook titled ‘Health, Sports, and Education’ is prescribed in the state syllabus, and students are required to purchase it. However, the lack of PE teachers means that this subject often goes untaught, leaving the textbooks untouched.
The Association of Sports Teachers in government and aided schools has repeatedly approached the government with demands for sports teachers’ appointments, even resorting to a boycott strike in 2017. While discussions with the Director of General Education resulted in assurances of changes to the 1959 Education Act and appointments, no concrete actions have followed.
Many athletes who showcased their skills at the recent State Sports Meet rely on private training academies, which is quite expensive.
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