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 of sports 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.

Besides representatives of various educational institutions, former world squash champion Qamar Zaman, KP Hockey Association president Syed Zahir Shah, representative of KP Olympic Association Haji Amjad Khan, Iftikhar Shamozai and officials of education department shared their views on the occasion.

The sports directors of 16 public and private universities also attended the seminar.

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.

“It can be accomplished through broad contribution in different activities related to sports, recreation and fitness from village and community levels to elite and top class sports involvement and participation at international level competitions,” said the official.

He said that government would encourage and promote participation of all citizens in sports, recreational and other fitness activities at every level to provide a healthy environment to them where they could avail maximum opportunities to enhance and enrich their capacities.

Mr Safi said that educational institutions should be made sports nurseries to produce talented and energetic sportspersons, who could replace the aging players and develop new and cooperative environment for the promotion of sports. “Efforts will be made to facilitate female players and physically challenged persons in participation in competitions and easy access to sports facilities,” he added.

He said that the sports policy was based on the principal of equality and provided equal opportunities to all citizens irrespectively of their religion, race, gender, age, cast, creed and mental or physical condition.

“We have to go alongside special persons, who are a part of our body and soul, to establish a conducive environment for our future generation,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2018