NEW DELHI: Despite a whopping annual budget of `1 crore, sport facilities in Delhi University (DU) are unchanged since 2001, although there have been upgrades in facilities at some colleges. State-of-the-art facilities at three university stadiums, upgraded with fanfare for the CWG, are yet to be handed over for use by students. A recent announcement, for a comprehensive policy to develop sports, has however excited the faculty at the physical education department.
Stating that sport is an integral part of any academic activity, DU Vice-Chancellor Dr Dinesh Singh said, “Students learn as much from sports as they do from lectures. There must be an environment where students have the opportunity to play a sport of their choice. We plan to come up with a comprehensive new policy this year, which will offer good sports facility to our students.” Keen to give a fresh lease of life to sports on campus, the chairman of Delhi University Sports Council said, there’s a pressing need for a sports policy to decide issues pertaining to students’ attendance, participation in events, and sponsorship for sports.
The policy will put in place guidelines to enable students to reschedule exams which they might have missed due to tournaments clashing with university test dates. It would also provide specific schedules for students to practice and hone their skills, and for sports scholarships. “There should be transparency in decision-making. It’s essential for the university, and the physical education faculty of all colleges, to work together to evolve a policy,” said Dr C S Dubey, Chairman of DU Sports Council. “Whether it’s trials at the time of admission or decisions on policy, we’ll sit together to take decisions.”
In 2010, Delhi University sportsmen and women participated in the inter-university tournament organised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), winning 25 medals, in events like tennis, shooting, badminton, football, chess, shooting and basketball.
Despite this record, students prefer to pursue academics, as a university degree is a far better guarantee of a job, while there’s no such assurance in sports, even if students compete at the international level. “It’s a tough decision,” said Dr M P Sharma, associate professor of physical education at Hansraj College. “There is no career in sports at present, except in cricket. However, with a university degree, a student can pursue higher studies, or get a well-paid job. There is no assurance of regular income from sports, which is why most students would prefer to focus on their study.”