Trifling representation by Government Schools in National Sports events

Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Jan 20: Despite the fact that the Government Schools are the only institutions in the State which submit the hundred percent of the 50 percent games fund every year with the Department of Youth Services and Sports, it is shocking to see trifling representation of the players from these schools in the National Level Sports events.
Sources said that out of the total number of players who represent the State of Jammu and Kashmir every year at the National scene, just 5 to 10 percent of the players from Government institutions are part of them, which simply is a negligible proportion as far as the number of Government Schools in the State is concerned.
Sources added that the main reasons behind the lack of representation by the players of Government institutions in the National Level sports events are holding most of the sports activities at the State headquarters of Jammu and Srinagar, where the domination of private institutions is at its peak and the emergence of various new Sports Associations, which rather than holding activities at the district level, hold them at headquarters and send teams to represent the State, thus debarring the sportspersons of rural areas from the opportunity.
“Many single man or two men Sports Associations in various sports disciplines, establish a specific so-called ‘coaching centre’ in each headquarter of Jammu and Srinagar, ignoring other districts and manage to select the players of these centres to represent the State in National Tournaments. In such a scheme of things, the wealthy and influential people who can afford to train their wards in these centres emerge winners, while the talented but hapless sportspersons from Government institutions remain wanting and are left in the lurch as they can hardly manage to deal with such Association,” said District Youth Services and Sports Officer of one of the remote districts of the State.
It is pertinent to mention here that the 50 percent Games Fund pooled by the Government Institutions for the excellence of their students in the field of sports, is being distributed among the players from private institutions in the form of scholarships and allied incentives. Lakhs of rupees are being spent by the Government on the scholarships of the National players. No-doubt, private institutions possess sufficient sports infrastructure to help their students flourish in the field of sports, yet the extra-ordinary motor ability and good physique of the sportspersons of the rural areas ought not to be ignored.
For more and more participation of the players from rural and hilly areas in the district and State level activities, the Director Youth Services and Sports, S Jaipal Singh issued a circular last year to all the District Sports Officers of the State for mandatory participation of the district teams in the sports events held in the State. The circular also served stern instructions to the sports staff of the non-participating institutions of the State, to make them accountable and answerable.

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