School zone games begin in Islamabad as the pandemic subsides – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said on Thursday that students cannot progress without sporting activities because it is essential to their healthy lives.

The minister said this when he opened inter-zone games for students in Federal Education Department (FDE) educational institutions at the Pakistan Sports Center.

He said the sporting event was a sign of a significant decline in the Covid-19 pandemic and showed that students have returned to normal school life.

The FDE, with more than 400 schools and colleges, has divided educational institutions into six zones to organize sporting events at the zone level.

Events have reached inter-zonal levels and will culminate on November 11th.

Boys and girls participate in sports, including 100 meters, 200 meters and rally. Javelin throws, high jumps, etc. are also part of the games. Volleyball, football, badminton and table tennis events are also organized.

The annual sports activity has been part of the FDE training calendar, but has been suspended for years.

The minister said Covid-19 has had a bad impact on the education sector and the sport was designed to get students out of stress.

He also asked students to focus on education and sports activities, increasing education is the only way to the country’s socio-economic development.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan will support such activities and sporting events will continue to be held.

Also present were Parliamentary Education Secretary Wajiha Qamar, FDE Director General Dr. Ikram Ali Malik, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee of Presidents Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, retired Colonel Asif Zaman of the Directorate-General for Sport, Federal School Teachers Association Malik Ameer and teachers. .

Talking Daylight, The head of the FDE, said the purpose of the event was to make students understand that everything is now normal because they have been suffering from mental stress for almost two years due to the pandemic.

He said the FDE was focused on sports, and now multi-purpose fields / fields are being built in all schools where there is space to allow students to participate in games that interest them.

Published on Dawn on November 5, 2021