The government is set to include seven sports—football, cricket, chess, karate or volleyball, badminton, athletics, and swimming—into the national curriculum, covering both theoretical and practical components. These will be introduced from the fourth grade of primary school up to higher secondary levels.
The information was revealed on Wednesday (March 25) in a letter from the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education, which was sent to the Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).
According to the letter, the first meeting of a committee formed by the Prime Minister’s Office to designate and implement sports grounds across urban and rural areas was held on March 14, chaired by the State Minister for Youth and Sports.
The meeting emphasised the need to incorporate football, cricket, chess, karate or volleyball, badminton, athletics, and swimming into the national curriculum starting from the fourth grade of primary school.
“In this context, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been instructed to take the necessary steps to include these seven sports in the curriculum,” the letter stated.