The Ministry of Education has joined hands with FIFA to launch the Football for Schools (F4S) programme, which aims to promote football as a tool for education, development and empowerment of students across India. The programme will distribute 11 lakh footballs to more than 1.5 lakh schools in a phased manner, and train physical education teachers to integrate football-related activities into the curriculum. The programme hopes to instil a lasting sports culture among students, regardless of gender, and foster values of teamwork, discipline and fitness.
Distribution of footballs
The F4S programme was initiated by an MoU signed between the Ministry of Education, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and FIFA on 30 October 2022. The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is the nodal organization for the programme. The distribution of footballs was launched by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 2 December 2023 in JNV Cuttack, Odisha. Since then, more than 6,800 footballs have been distributed to 1,260 schools in 17 districts of Odisha, as well as in Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Capacity building of teachers
The programme also aims to enhance capacity building of physical education teachers and trainees by conducting master training programmes at various venues across the country. Around 300 participants from different States/UTs, KVS, NVS and AIFF have attended these programmes so far, where they learned from the best practices of FIFA and AIFF. These participants will then act as master trainers at the State level for further capacity building in the field.
Global initiative of FIFA
F4S is part of FIFA’s global initiative to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children through football training. By fostering partnerships at different levels, the programme wishes to instil a sense of enthusiasm for the sport, laying the foundation for a lasting sports culture that goes beyond individual schools. It will not only introduce the joy of playing football to students but also infuse values of teamwork, discipline and fitness, contributing to their holistic development.
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