New Delhi: School students are set to benefit from a nationwide fitness assessment programme as the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) rolls out a school-based health and fitness initiative.Covering over 31.2 lakh students across 3,300+ schools, the programme integrates physical fitness into mainstream education in line with the National Education Policy. So far, 26.5 lakh students have completed assessments with 85% completion rate. The initiative provides fitness report cards, promotes healthier lifestyles, helps identify sporting talent, and will create national school health and fitness indices to support evidence-based policies and holistic student development.The programme, ACTIVE CISCE, assesses age-appropriate physical fitness across classes. Students in Classes I to III are evaluated on fundamental movement, object control and body management skills, while those in Classes IV to XII are assessed on speed, flexibility, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, core strength and body composition. CISCE is also developing a separate assessment framework for Children with Special Needs to make the initiative inclusive.Every student receives a personalised Fitness Report Card, enabling schools and parents to monitor physical development over time. Parents can access the reports through a dedicated online portal and support their children’s fitness goals.“ACTIVE CISCE represents our commitment to placing health, fitness, and well-being at the heart of school education. Through this initiative, we aim to create a culture of active living, empower students to make healthier choices, and establish a robust national framework for monitoring and promoting physical fitness among young learners,” said Joseph Emmanuel, Chief Executive and Secretary, CISCE.Schools have been organised into five geographical clusters for implementation and monitoring across India and overseas. The data collected will help create School Health and School Fitness Indices, providing baseline evidence on students’ physical well-being, identifying concerns such as poor flexibility, endurance, nutrition and sedentary lifestyles, while helping schools and policymakers design targeted interventions and identify promising sporting talent at an early stage.
