Jagatsinghpur: Even as both the state and Central governments encourage students to develop sporting activities for physical and mental growth, the move had gone rudderless as most of the schools in the district don’t have a playground.
Worse, grazing lands adjacent to schools, which were being used as playgrounds by students, have been encroached by land grabbers, it was learnt. The indifference of the district administration to the issue triggers resentment among people and guardians.
Figures available with the office of the district coordinator of Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) revealed that the number of government primary and upper primary schools in Jagatsinghpur district was 1,500. Of 1,341 primary schools, 1,090 do not have playgrounds. Similarly, 59 UP schools too have no facilities for the students for their physical activities.
On being inquired about the details, SSA office sources stated 153 primary schools under Balikuda block, 81 under Biridi, 157 under Erasama, 151 under Jagatsinghpur, 19 under Jagatsinghpur municipality, 137 under Kujanga, 12 under Paradip, 69 under Naugaon, 77 under Raghunathpur, 143 under Tirtol and 91 primary schools of Cuttack district under Jagatsinghpur education district have no play grounds. Similarly, eight UP schools under Balikuda, four under Biridi, 11 under Erasama, eight under Jagatsinghpur, one under Jagatsinghpur municipality, five under Kujanga, two under Paradip, two under Naugaon, 15 under Tirtol and three UP schools in Cuttack district under Jagatsinghpur education district don’t have playgrounds.
Surprisingly, physical education teachers (PET) have been appointed in most of these schools and several schools have part time instructors to teach other physical activities to students. Questions are being raised over the job of these physical trainers when the schools have no playground in the first place.
On the other hand, the schools are provided with sports gears and a grant of Rs1 lakh to each of them was granted recently for the facelift of playgrounds. It was not learnt as to how the funds had been spent by the school authorities.
When contacted, district education officer Kapilendra Mishra said the headmasters of the schools, having no playgrounds, were asked to identify vacant lands near their schools and report it to him. However, most headmasters are yet to file their reports, Mishra added.
While HMs have been reprimanded over this, concerned tehsildars have been asked to record such vacant land in the name of nearby schools as playgrounds for the schools have been made mandatory under the Right To Education(RTE) Act , the DEO further said. PNN
