Trichy: National Education Policy (NEP-2020) is an important and the first policy that is student-centric, Tamil Nadu’s Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said.
Addressing a national workshop on ‘restructuring sports and physical education in higher education under NE’ at National College in Trichy, Arlekar said equal importance should be given to physical education alongside academics.
“NEP is the first education policy that is not teacher-centric or institution-centric but student-centric. It is just not a piece of paper but an important document,” he said. With India aiming to host the Olympics in 2036 and emerging as a strong contender, the country would have the necessary infrastructure by then, he said. “But we need to start cultivating participants from now. That ground for cultivation is our educational system,” he said.
Arlekar said emerging technologies should be used in physical education. He also said India’s growing geopolitical standing should be complemented by a stronger presence in global sports.
The governor said the rapid growth of technology had confined people to four walls, with students increasingly immersed in mobile phones, computers and laptops. He urged students to step out and actively participate in sports. “Technology is not the enemy,” he said.
He said participation was more important than winning and stressed that physical education teachers should ensure every student gets an opportunity to participate. He also urged higher education institutions to monitor students’ participation in sports.
