Kerala Education Department has designed the country’s first ‘inclusive sports manual’ for differently-abled to promote sports talents of differently-abled school children. This, they expressed, will ensure their participation in the field. State General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that it is a first-of-its-kind in India.

“Steps are being taken to conduct competitions as part of the manual this year itself,” Sivankutty said while addressing a media briefing on Wednesday. The minister was talking about various academic and non-academic programmes implemented by the department in the ongoing academic year.

He said that another programme, titled “Healthy Kids,” envisaged to ensure the physical and mental health of children by initiating them to sports and games, would be implemented for primary students of the state-run schools.

Designed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), he said the programme was already approved by the curriculum committee, and two books have been prepared as part of it.

Seeking to support autistic children, Model Autism Complexes would be set up in all 14 districts of the state by spending Rs 37.80 crore, the minister detailed. A total of Rs 121.21 crore-worth of projects would be implemented as part of the “inclusive education” programme envisaged for differently abled children, Sivankutty said.

The minister said the annual school sports meet would be held from October 18 to 22 in Ernakulam district. Efforts are being made to change the school sports meet to the model of the Olympics by organising athletes and games together, he said. A special logo, theme, and song are under consideration for the event, the minister added.

Source: PTI

Also read: Delhi: Congress chief donates Rahul Gandhi-designed desks to school for specially-abled