Absence of trainers keep Corp schools out of sports track

“There are 281 Corporation schools and 15 government schools in the city but there are just 40 odd physical education staff in the Primary and Middle schools which follows the Sarva Siksha Abiyan programme. 

These teachers are given Rs 7000 salary to teach students drawing, music and Physical education in the schedule class hour. There are 68 vacancies (most of them in High School and Higher Secondary Schools). 

We have been asking the authorities to fill them with qualified physical trainers for the past six years,” says President of Tamil Nadu Teachers Association P K Ilamaran. VR Vanajaa, who is the State Program Manager for Rainbow Foundation India, a government-aided shelter home in Purasawakkam says, “Lack of physical education trainers in corporation schools have left students in a lurch with no platform to hone their sports talent.” These schools do not see much of extra curriculum activities and inter-school sports meet to build their athletic skills.  

State Convenor of Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory (TNCRO) Professor M Andrew Sesuraj says, “These schools have district level sports programme but it is just a token initiative and less than 50 per cent of the students take part. 

It was the government which introduced the ‘Activity based learning Method (ABL),” but even as the private schools have adopted and using it efficiently the government school are lagging behind. 

When contacted, Educational Officer of Greater Chennai Corporation Ranjani said it was Government’s duty to fill in the vacancies. An official of the Tamil Nadu Recruitment Board said that they had not received any notification about the requirement of physical education trainers in corporation schools.