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3. Mr Vineet Joshi
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Mr Vineet Joshi said that sport is a great social equalizer for the
youth, referring to the programmes that CBSE has started in schools
to address the various aspects of physical, mental, emotional and
psychological health. He emphasised on making sport, health and
physical education compulsory up to grade ten. He also
recommended an emphasis on the concept of health and wellness
where the focus is on child’s health as a human being and not only
as a sportsperson.
He also gave a brief insight into the Physical Education Cards (PECs)
that have been introduced in consultation with the British Council to
address a common concern of parents: ‘physical education is a waste
of time’. Mr Joshi detailed out the PECs map which includes an
entire curriculum from grade one to five. He spoke about how
upgrading the grades in scholastic areas by using the grades in non-cognitive areas (especially in sports) would help
create a better understanding and acceptance of the importance of sport and physical education.
Contact Mr Vineet Joshi at secy-cbse@nic.in
Know more about the Central Board of Secondary Education at www.cbse.nic.in
4. Mr Bobby John
Mr Bobby John put forward his view that that sport is a medium
through which people can come together. With a judicious use of
resources, it is a process from where productive outcomes can be
derived. Drawing a close, quick analogy with the structure and state
of ministries of food and labour in India, he emphasised how outputs
need to be relooked at in terms of deliverables.
He emphasised on the necessary outcomes, instead of numbers and
budgets, as the driving force for large-scale programmes and
government schemes.
Contact Mr Bobby John at bj@bjohn.org
From the audience:
The session was a highly interactive one with interesting questions from the audience. Some of these were:
Ms Josephine from Samarthanam Trust put forward a question on the sport policies for the disabled.
Mr Chandramohan responded to this question by saying that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan covers all children under
it. He also mentioned that many policies are being reformulated and steps are being taken towards it.
Mr Amir Abidi from Education Development Centre shot a direct question to the panel saying, ‘Where are the
maidans? Most spaces available in urban India require you to pay to play’.
This question was taken up by Mr Bobby John. He said, “The need has to come from the people, especially those
at the grassroots. It’s only when people ask for something in a democratic setup, that the government does
something about it.”
Session 3: Sport – An effective tool for social inclusion and empowering women and children
This session emphasised on the role of sport in promoting social inclusion and gender equality. It discussed the various ways in
which a woman acquires a green chit to encourage freedom of expression, develop a sense of identity, and become empowered
through sport. The session also deliberated on the potential of sport as a medium for reaching out to the yet-to-be-included
people from underprivileged sections and those with special abilities. It has the power to break down the social barriers and
create a healthy civil society.
Moderator: Mr Vivek Ramchandani, Coordinator, Australian Sports Outreach Programme (ASOP), Australian Sports Commission
Panel (in order of proceedings):
1. Mr Ravi Verma, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
2. Ms Maria Bobenrieth, Women Win
3. Mr Denzil Keelor, Special Olympics Bharat
4. Ms Mukta Narain Thind (Co-presenter), Special Olympics Bharat