A project to develop physical literacy among school students has been launched in select schools in the State.
V.P. Sakeer Hussain, Head of the Department of Physical Education at the University of Calicut, is its coordinator. In the first phase, 850 students from 11 schools in Kerala will be involved in the project. Class I students will be trained for four years and observed as part of the study. Their basic mobility skills and sports aptitude will be monitored. The schools involved are ALPS Kolakkattuchali, SVAUPS Chelembra, ALPS Chelembra, AMLPS Perunthodippadam, ALPS Pullumkunnu, AMMAUPS Chelooppadam, GLPS Calicut University Campus, AUPS Tenhipalam, GMUPS Parakkadavu, GUPS Munniyoor, and SAUP Chelod, all in Malappuram district.
A sum of â‚ą1.5 crore has been sanctioned for the project approved by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. M.R. Dinu, Professor, Physical Education, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady; Nafih Cherappurath, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education, Amal College of Advanced Studies, Nilambur; V.A. Shafeeque, Head of the Department of Physical Education, Government Medical College, Thrissur; and Zubair Medammal, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, are part of it.
Mr. Sakeer Hussain told The Hindu on Sunday (August 3) that this was a first-of-its-kind initiative to involve physical literacy in the school curriculum. “During the four years, the students will be trained in basic and fundamental physical movements such as kicking a football or dribbling a basketball. We will record the changes in their physical and psychological attitude, character, and appearance thereafter,” he said.
As many as 3,000 students selected from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka would be involved in it, official sources said. The project would be rolled out in eight schools in Tamil Nadu in another week. In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, it would be launched by August 20, the sources added.
Published – August 03, 2025 07:54 pm IST
