Govt calls for compulsory PE lessons for Classes VI-XII

Chennai: The school education department has asked chief and district education officers to ensure that physical education (PE) lessons for Classes VI-XII are conducted without fail. It also sought details of schools where playgrounds are not utilized properly.

The instructions come in the wake of a recent review meeting chaired by school education secretary B Chandra Mohan with department officials. Further, chief educational officers (CEOs) have been instructed to ensure that schools hold special coaching classes for students interested in sports and games to identify and groom talent, a release said.

The department directed district PE inspectors to provide CEOs with details of schools that have achieved distinction at state and national level contests. “While Classes VI-XII do have PE classes, there are instances where other teachers take over the time. The department does not encourage such activities,” an official from the school education department said.

Physical education directors and teachers in the respective schools have been told to follow the “prescribed curriculum” while training students. Last year, the department had released a PE guidebook for teachers, designed in line with the curriculum. However, PE teachers across the state are yet to get hard copies of the book.

PE associations welcomed the move, but say that several gaps must be plugged. “There are no PE teacher posts in about 9,000 middle schools. More than 500 high schools do not have PE teachers, and more than 3,500 schools do not have physical director grade-I posts,” S Sankaraperumal, president, TN Physical Education Teachers and Physical Directors Association, told TOI.

He said there were 2,900 high and higher secondary schools where posts were created, but recruitment had not happened.