Saturday to be observed as sports day in schools

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is going to declare Saturday as sports day in the primary as well as middle schools besides specifying two classes each day for sports activities in the schools at high and higher secondary levels.

“Notification is this regard will be issued soon by the relevant departments,” Adil Saeed Safi, the chairman of Performance, Management and Reforms Unit at the chief secretary office, told a seminar here on Thursday.

He said that private sector educational institutions would also be bound to follow the government decisions in the best interest of the new generation.

The seminar was held at Lala Rafique Sports Arena to bring uniformity in planning for development and promotion ofsports in the province.

Mr Safi said that students would come to the schools on Saturday but without books to take part in sports activities of their choice. He said that there was need to put in place conscious efforts to take forward the syllabus of sports science in schools and as a discipline at university level.

He said that private sector would be encouraged for revival of sports goods industry in the province. `This justifies and necessitates framing of a comprehensive sports policy,` he added.

Mr Safi said that provincial sports policy was introduced for the first time in KP to promote sports. He said that the sports policy defined sports as all types of formal or informal physical activities carried out with an aim to improve physical and mental fitness, build social bonds or achieve results in different national and international competitions.