The competitions are to be held between January 5 and 15. The events on the calendar include races, relay races, hurdle races, long jump, high jump, javelin throw, kho-kho, kabaddi, gymnastics, volleyball, football, badminton, yoga, swimming, table tennis, cricket and hockey.
Girls are not fit to play hockey, cricket or football. Ridiculous, one might say. But that is precisely what the UP Education Department seems to believe. Or at least that is what it can be readily accused of on the basis of the programme recently released for its upcoming sports events.
The competitions are to be held between January 5 and 15. The events on the calendar include races, relay races, hurdle races, long jump, high jump, javelin throw, kho-kho, kabaddi, gymnastics, volleyball, football, badminton, yoga, swimming, table tennis, cricket and hockey.
While both boy and girl students would be participating in most of the events, the girls have been excluded from football, hockey and cricket tournaments. Social activists are up in arms against the rather blatant gender discrimination, while the government has predictably announced an inquiry into the matter.
"About 60 per cent of the students in the government schools under the UP Basic Shiksha Parishad are girls. Denying them equal opportunity in sports is totally absurd and unacceptable," says social activist Nutan Thakur.
"We have women's teams at the national level in cricket and hockey. Keeping them out of the competitions in these sports at the entry level doesn't make any sense," says Seema Rana of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA). She said her organization would be starting a protest on Friday and it would continue until the department doesn't remedy its mistake.
Meanwhile, the government officials responsible are busy passing the buck. On being questioned, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Lucknow, PM Tripathi said: "We have only followed the instructions of the Basic Education Directorate. There is no gender discrimination." The Basic Education Director DB Sharma was equally at sea as he said he was yet to set his eyes on the sports calendar of his own department.
UP Basic Education Minister Dr Ahmed Hasan told reporters that he would conduct an inquiry into the matter and ensure that the girl students are not discriminated against in any manner.
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