BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh writes letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asking mandatory physical fitness period in schools to combat obesity and diabetes cases among children.
UP BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh says health parameters should be a mandatory part of the student’s progress
( Image Source : Twitter/@RajeshwarS73 )
“I propose that Parliament introduce a legislation to govern the inclusion, access, and provision of basic physical health and fitness to all children in the education system.
The MLA from the Sarojini Nagar seat in Lucknow quoted data to state that around 5-8.8 per cent of school children are obese in India and if the rates continue to increase at this pace, India will be home to 27 million obese children by 2030. Childhood obesity, he wrote in his letter dated December 14, is particularly troubling because it has a ripple effect causing a plethora of health problems like diabetes that were once considered to be adult problems.
He also said that the health parameters of students should be made “a mandatory part” of the student’s progress reports, thereby mainstreaming the physical and mental well-being of students as an integral part of their overall progress, which till now has been restricted to academic excellence.
He said while some measures have been taken in the past to address the issue of absence of physical activities in schools, like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 pushing for ‘sports integrated learning’ and Uttar Pradesh announcing a ‘sports ecosystem’ policy in September, more needs to be done on this front.
Singh said that as children are left in the care of schools from 6 am to 3 pm everyday, the onus of not just their mental but even their physical well-being resides with them. “On returning home, they are burdened with academic homework and tests, which further limits their physical activity. In this regard it is in entirety the responsibility of schools to mandate 45 minutes of daily physical exercise for all students through activities such as Yoga, sports and physical training,” he wrote.
A former Enforcement Directorate and UP Police officer, Singh also suggested that public representatives like MPs and MLAs should be “encouraged” to attend school athletic meets in their respective constituencies and mass media campaigns should be launched to spread the message of good physical health among school-going children.