Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated June 18, 1958: School, sports and studies

(From an editorial)

No one interested in the future of sport in our country would cavil at the declaration by His Highness the Maharaja of Patiala, President of the Indian Olympic Association, that there was really no excuse for the failure of our hockey team to rise to expectations in the recent Asian Games at Tokyo. But in his anxiety to suggest measures to raise sporting standards in India. His Highness made one or two statements that are open to question. He is reported to have said that there was “too much cramming and not enough sport” in the educational institutions in our country and that if India had any ambition to win more laurels in the field of international sport, both the Union and State Governments should attend to this matter without delay as international standards were rising all the time. But is there any basis for thinking that schools and colleges, for instance, in Pakistan, which has won the Asian Championship in hockey devote their curricula more to development of sporting skill than to studies proper? They probably have got a greater proportion of naturally gifted games players and athletes and they certainly give them the right coaching and encouragement – at the proper time. We, too, can ensure that our most promising youngsters receive adequate and suitable training and guidance but there is really no need to devote more school hours to sports and games. Sports and other extra-curricular activities have their value in shaping the physique and personality of the student but they should be kept in their place and should not be permitted to obtrude on the field of studies. It does not matter in the long run if India wins the first place or fails to do so in international sports tournaments. What is necessary is that we should constantly seek all-round excellence – of body, mind and spirit. And the ability to bear defeats cheerfully constitutes the real test of sportsmanship.

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