No playgrounds in 24,000 schools

Bengaluru: Karnataka is the first state to implement the Central Government's ambitious National Education Policy 2020 to change the direction of the education sector. In this, sports and physical education have been given a place in the curriculum. However, in reality there are no playgrounds in more than 24,000 primary and high schools of the state.

Physical education is essential for children's learning. But without playgrounds, thousands of school children are deprived of this. According to the analysis of education experts, this is a major hindrance to the physical and intellectual development of children. The helplessness of the education department is how to build a playground if there is no space.

There are a total of 69,941 schools including 53,239 primary and 16,122 high schools including government, aided and private schools. Out of these 24,332 schools do not have playgrounds. More than 60 percent of urban schools are deprived of playgrounds.

There is a criterion that a school should have at least 5 acres of land to build a playground. Most of the schools that have playgrounds now are not adequate. As a result children have to rely on indoor sports.

In the National Education Policy, sports and physical education have been given a lot of emphasis. More importantly, sports and physical education are mandatory under the Right to Education Act (RTE). Playground is one of the 8 physical facilities that schools are mandated to provide under the RTE Act. But no one cares about this. If education is to be comprehensive, it needs education that complements the physical, intellectual and mental development of children. Physical education and sports are important for that. So the government should take strict measures to provide playgrounds. Local institutions and public playgrounds should be compulsorily reserved for the use of school children. Education expert Dr VP Niranjan Aradhya opines that encroached school playgrounds should be cleared.

Steps have been taken to engage in indoor sports in schools that do not have playgrounds. Students participating in various level sports events use the nearby taluk, district stadium, municipal and corporation playgrounds. For some schools, land has been acquired through donors. There is a problem with schools that are built long ago. Rules are being strictly followed in the case of new schools. The Education Department said that other departments have also been requested to provide space.

There is no instance where there is space and there is no playground. How to provide a playground when there is no space? This problem exists in many places in schools that were built long ago. In addition to that, playgrounds of neighboring schools, urban local bodies and village grounds are being used for sports and physical education, said Dr. R Vishal, Commissioner, Education Department.