GUNTUR: As sports is very important for the overall growth of the students, the State government with the coordination of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan has distributed sports equipment to all government schools in the district. Sports equipment worth Rs 2.7 crore were distributed to as many as 3,240 government schools and 46 junior colleges present in the district.
A total of 2,507 primary schools received sports kits with 53 equipment costing Rs 5,000 each and 282 upper primary schools got kits with 75 types of equipment worth Rs 10,000 each. As many as 451 high schools and 46 junior colleges received kits comprising of 170 types of equipment costing `25,000 each. Every kit contained equipment required for various outdoor and indoor games including cricket, tennis, volleyball, kabaddi, skipping, chess, and caroms.
District Education Officer Ganga Bhavani issued strict instructions to the headmasters and fitness teachers to make sure the equipment was well utilized. In order to inspect the quality of the equipment distributed, three-member committees comprising local MEO, senior headmaster, and senior physical director were formed in every mandal.
Speaking on the occasion, Katuri Lakshmi Narayana, headmaster of Ilavaram Zilla Parishad High School informed that the quality of the equipment was great. He added that the students were very excited to receive the kits and looked forward to playing after a long Covid hiatus.
“The physical director of our school is encouraging the students to take up sports as it helps students boost their self-confidence, concentration, both physical and mental strength, patience, team efforts, and social skills,” the headmaster said.