NIZAMABAD: While many schools are focused on building a student’s career, the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Padkal believes in building foundations of resilience, discipline and community. This unassuming English-medium school, set 2 km off National Highway 44 and far from the hustle and bustle of city life, treats sport not as an extracurricular activity but as its organising principle. From this ground have emerged national-level athletes, police officers, soldiers, and coaches — all rooted in village support, migrant contributions and a tutor who once played on the same dusty court.
ZPHS Padkal, a co-educational school for students from classes 6 to 10 with a strength of 147, has become known for its sporting culture. Physical director Gaddam Srinivas, an alumnus, has been training students in volleyball and fistball since 2015. A volleyball player himself, he is National Institute of Sports certified and a qualified international-level coach. His PhD is underway.
Under his guidance, around 120 students have participated in national volleyball and fistball tournaments over the years. Sports quota selections have followed: 18 alumni are now police constables; two others serve as sub-inspectors in the ACB and special branch in Nizamabad and Hyderabad; four have joined the Army; and five former students have become physical directors. Another 15 alumni are preparing for the DSC examination. Srinivas tells TNIE that the school’s emphasis on sport has helped lay strong foundations for students’ physical fitness and life outcomes.
Recently, with support from the Gulf Migrants Association of Padkal, the school hosted a mandal-level tournament on a scale rarely seen — spending Rs 3.5 lakh when most schools work with minimal budgets. The headmaster led a drive to paint and spruce up the campus.
The Village Development Committee (VDC) funded the food arrangements for players and provided Rs 800 for state-level and Rs 1,500 for national-level qualifiers towards personal expenses. Old students also contribute regularly to school development.
Philanthrophic support
Headmaster Gaddam Surendar Reddy says the school balances sports with academics while drawing support from philanthropists to strengthen facilities.
When Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy encouraged sports initiatives across districts, District Collector T Vinay Krishna Reddy visited ZPHS Padkal. He interacted with students, reviewed the school’s performance, and stressed the role of sport in securing government jobs. He urged coaches to train students with an eye on the Olympics and assured them of government support. Sport, he said, is a measure of a society’s physical and mental health.