In a bid to promote sports in the country, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said on Monday that a games period will be made mandatory in schools after reducing the syllabus by 50% by next year.
“We have come to a stage where sports is not a part of education; it is education. The ministry of education is ensuring that by 2019, the syllabus in schools is reduced by 50% and there will be a sports period on a regular basis,” Rathore said.
Rathore said the ministry is planning several things to make sports more relevant.
“We are also ensuring that the SAI (Sports Authority of India) reduces its manpower by 50% by 2022 so that it can cater to sports and it has a lean body and money is spent on sports.
“This year, we will have 20 specialised sports schools and the government of India will pump in about Rs 7-10 crore each. The idea is to have a very pointed approach so that each school will have only two or three main sports. They will be very focused,” he said.