CHENNAI: Sport is a luxury for many corporation school students in the city. According to corporation data, more than half of its primary and middle schools, and almost half of its high schools don’t have playgrounds. The city corporation runs a total of 281 schools in the city, with a total strength of 83,200. 

Law mandates that every school must have a playground among other facilities. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act states that play materials, games, and sports equipment must be provided to each class as required. However, with school managements appealing citing the lack of land resources, the Centre in 2012 said it would be sufficient if schools make adequate arrangements in the adjoining playgrounds or parks for children.

This, however, is only possible if there is a Corporation playground nearby, said an official. “Students will be taken to the nearest Corporation playground for sports practice. But this is done only once a week,” the official said. 

“Whenever the Corporation holds inter-school sports meet, only students from schools with playgrounds win. That is because they get sufficient practice unlike kids in our school, who practice just once or twice a week,” said a school headmaster.

T Devi Selvam, president, Tamil Nadu Physical Education Teachers/Physical Directors Association, said that for teachers and students, the aim is usually for their kids to do well academically. “Parents are not usually concerned about sports. This will also affect the fitness of students,” he said.
When contacted, a senior corporation official said, “There are no playgrounds in some schools because there is no availability of land. Even a lot of private schools don’t have playgrounds.”
To improve facilities, the Corporation is planning to build a 22-yard cricket pitch at the Nungambakkam boys higher secondary school.

CHENNAI: City Corporation commissioner G Prakash inaugurated an awareness programme for the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign to outline its action plan for the year 2019-20 at the Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School at Washermanpet. 

He was accompanied by the district collector of Chennai R Seethalakshmi. The City Corporation, in association with the District Social Welfare Department has been taking various initiatives to set right the declining child sex ratio, said a statement from the Corporation. 

To create awareness, the commissioner and collector spoke about issues of safety and the need for education among girls, and also distributed prizes to girls who excelled in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities, the statement added. 

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign was launched by the Centre in 2015 in an attempt to put an end to female infanticide. According to the 2011 census the child sex ratio (0-6 years) has shown a decline from 927 females per thousand males in 2001 to 919 females per thousand males in 2011. This has been attributed to several factors including dowry demands and the belief that only sons will turn out to be breadwinners, helped by easy accessibility to sex determination tests. In Tamil Nadu, the child sex ratio went from 942 in 2001 to 943 in 2011.