Parliament Question: Traditional Sports in Educational Curriculum

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3699 ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026 Traditional Sports in Educational Curriculum † 3699. Dr. Sambit Patra:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes any action plan to promote traditional Indian sports by including them into the educational curriculum;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether an expert team has been formed to formulate standard rules for traditional Indian sports identified by the Government;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether any proposal is under consideration of the Government to include traditional self-defence arts, i.e., martial arts, in the sports curriculum;

(f) whether any action plan has been prepared to train physical education teachers employed in educational institutions in these sports of the Indian knowledge tradition; and

(g) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (g) The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes on the importance of sports in education and bringing sports in main stream education. Para 4.8 of NEP 2020, inter-alia, “Sports-integration is another cross-curricular pedagogical approach that utilizes physical activities including indigenous sports, in pedagogical practices to help in developing skills such as collaboration, self-initiative, self-direction, self-discipline, teamwork, responsibility, citizenship, etc.Under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, a dedicated component on Sports and Physical Education has been introduced to encourage regular sports activities and fitness programmes in schools. In this regard, this Department has issued guidelines for sports grant under the Samagra Shiksha which emphasize the effective utilization of funds for organizing sports activities, maintaining playgrounds and sports infrastructure and promoting daily physical activity in schools. These guidelines mention the indicative list of age-appropriate sports equipment for government schools. States and Union Territories have been advised to encourage the inclusion of traditional and regional games in school activities. To popularize such games among children, schools have also been encouraged to organize indigenous games periodically.

As a follow-up of NEP 2020, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has brought out the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE)-2023 which provides that Physical education is now considered a core curricular area with its own specific learning standards and has specific recommendations for content selection, pedagogical approaches, and ways of assessment.

Physical Education and Well-being has been introduced as a compulsory subject in grades 3 to 10 as per the recommendations of NCF-SE 2023.

Accodingly, NCERT has brought out textbooks for Physical Education and Well-being from Grade 3 to

8. These textbooks integrate traditional and indigenous games, in line with the NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023, emphasizing holistic development, physical fitness, and experiential learning. These promote physical literacy, fitness, and holistic development of students. Salient features of the Curriculum and study/activity material of Physical Education and Sports are as follows;

Khel Yoga, for grades 3 to 5, includes-  72 activities to develop Basic Motor movements, with joyful experiential learning, in a progressive and age-appropriate manner from Grade 3 to 5.  47 types of Warm Up and Cool-down exercises (15 in Grade 3, 16 in Grade 4 & 5).

 42 Indigenous Games /Our Games - (17 in Grade 3, 13 in Grade 4, 12 in Grade 5).  Yoga, which is divided into two sections: Yoga for Healthy Living and Yoga for Sadhna.

Khel Yatra, for grades 6 to 8, includes- A total of 50 activities based on the progression of indigenous/ traditional and Ethnosport.  Eight modern/internationally recognized sports, namely Kho-kho, Kabaddi, Football, Track and Field, Table-Tennis, Badminton, Handball, and Volleyball, with their fundamental skills.

 Yoga, which is divided into two sections; Yoga for Daily Life and Yoga for Sadhna.

Indigenous as well as international martial arts have been integrated in the Physical Education and well-being curriculum at the secondary stage. The Physical Education and well-being textbooks from Grade 9 onwards include content on indigenous martial arts such as Kalaripayattu, Gatka, and Thang-Ta, along with international martial arts like Taekwondo and Judo. These inclusions aim to promote self-defence skills, physical fitness, discipline and awareness of India’s traditional martial arts heritage among students through the school curriculum.

As per NCF-SE, 2023, capacity building and training of teachers are integral components of the implementation of the Physical Education and Well-being. NCERT and other concerned institutions organise orientation and training programmes for teachers to familiarise them with the curriculum, pedagogical approaches and activities included in the Physical Education textbooks.

These training and orientation programmes include guidance on the conduct of traditional and indigenous games, sports activities and related practices so that Physical Education teachers can effectively implement them in schools and promote India’s traditional sporting heritage among students. NCERT regularly conducts capacity building programmes, Teacher Training programmes, for the master trainers, and Key resource persons of various states, from CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, SCERTs, DMSs, RIEs and Atomic Energy Education Society, etc.

The students of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Boys and Girls) from Classes VI to XII are

provided training in martial arts disciplines such as Judo, Taekwondo, Boxing and Wrestling under the Sports curriculum. These sports disciplines are also included in the Regional and National Sports Meets of KVS, as well as in the National School Games organized by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI). Further, special training in self-defence skills is also provided to the students under the PM SHRI Scheme.Self-defense training is imparted to all girl students in all Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas under the PM SHRI Scheme.

Further, in order to boost the physical and mental strength of girls and to equip them to face any unprecedented situation in school or thereafter self defence training is provided to girls of class VI to XII of Government Schools under "Rani Laxmi Bai Atma Raksha Prashikshan" of Samagra Shiksha.

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