The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has demanded the State government to immediately appoint Physical Education Teachers (PETs) and qualified coaches in all government and private schools and colleges in the State.
Pointing out that as per the RTE Act, the National Education Policy, 2020 and the Meghalaya Sports Policy, 2019 sports should be made compulsory in institutions, HITO said the government should immediately take up the issue if Meghalaya wants to produce national champions, Olympians by 2024-2028.
Informing that there are 14,694 schools (primary, upper primary, secondary, higher secondary, Adhoc, government-aided, SSA, etc) in Meghalaya, HITO said all these are yet to adhere to the laid down norms.
“If the MDA government can move quickly on the issue of PETs there will be hope for our state to produce champions of national and international quality,” HITO president Donbok Dkhar told reporters today.
Dkhar said that as per the RTI they received there are only four PETs in government schools, out of which only two have the required qualifications. He said that the reason cited by the Education Department was paucity of funds and MBOSE has not added sports in its curriculum and that all PE posts are transferred to the general subject post.
He also said that the no grant-in-aid was provided to schools and colleges to conduct extracurricular activities and sports.
Dkhar said while the Prime Minister has time and again emphasized “physical fitness” and initiated the Fit India Movement, International Yoga Day and the landmark National Education Policy, yet it appears that the various departments, especially the Education Department is not aware of the Meghalaya Sports Policy notified on December 12, 2019 and have given contradictory replies which is discouraging.
“The unfortunate situation is that today there is an association of unemployed qualified PETs who are graduates, including some who have also completed their Masters/Ph.D. in the subject,” he added.
HITO further urged the Chief Minister to advise the Meghalaya Public Service Commission to ensure that due consideration is given to qualifications relating to Masters/Ph.D. and graduates and that representative from the sport bodies must be included in commission for interview of the PETs and coaches.
