Empowering teachers to transform physical education in schools

Imagine a school setting where teachers are more than just subject experts. They are mentors who guide every aspect of a child’s development, nurturing not just academic success, but also holistic well-being. Physical Education (PE) plays a crucial role in this vision, promoting physical fitness, social-emotional learning, and a love for movement. Yet, PE programs often take a backseat in the educational system and face challenges, including limited resources and a lack of specialized instructors. The challenge lies in how teachers can focus on classes of physical education, given the shortage of specialized instructors in numerous schools, at the elementary and middle school levels. How can we equip teachers to design enriching learning experiences that are engaging and inclusive for everyone?  

Physical education is now recognized as a component of the school curriculum rather than just an extracurricular activity that requires the same level of importance and dedicated time in schools (NEP2020). The educational program should emphasize hands-on learning that centers, around principles of movement and physical skills as recommended by the National Focus Group on Health and Physical Education (NCERT) in 2006.  

Dani Sports Foundation’s Project Chhalaang is a grassroots initiative working to create a culture of play in various regions in India. Project Chhalaang is operational in 23 districts in 4 states including Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. In each district we work with about 100 schools, reaching a total of 2300 teachers. The strength of our program lies in these 2300 teachers who will eventually take the movement of Physical education ahead. Most of them are nodal teachers assigned by the HMs of schools, due to a significant shortage of Physical Education teachers in the school. These teachers are highly motivated individuals who believe in the cause of the Right to Play for every child.

Dani Sports Foundation has long been at the forefront of enhancing physical education in government schools, with a focus on providing access to students for facilitated physical education sessions in schools and transforming how physical education sessions are imparted to students. The foundation's teacher training initiative goes beyond conventional methods, focusing more on mindset readiness offering a dynamic approach that empowers teachers to engage students meaningfully in physical education sessions and promotes lifelong physical well-being. The foundation’s structured teachers training program provides a comprehensive framework for teachers, enabling them to deliver high-quality physical education that is age-appropriate, inclusive, facilitated in safe environments, experiential, and impactful.  

Dani Sports Foundation’s teacher training program is implemented through a well-thought-out three-phased approach. Each phase builds upon the previous one, ensuring that teachers receive continuous handholding of a well-rounded understanding of physical education, activity design, facilitation on the ground, and conducting assessments. In the state program, the foundation works with hyperlocal NGOs which are implementation partner organizations where Project Chhalaang operates, and field coordinators are the primary implementors of the program. Field coordinators conduct the sessions on the ground along with the teachers. Field coordinators who are the primary recipients of the training, conduct the training for the teachers along with the NGO managers. Field coordinators act as a vital link between the foundation, hyperlocal NGOs, and teachers in the program. The training is cascaded through the field coordinators to the teachers and beyond session delivery, field Coordinators provide consistent on-ground support by observing and mentoring teachers in their classrooms, ensuring the effective implementation of activities and addressing challenges specific to each school’s context.  

The initial phase, Swasth School, introduces teachers to the key principles of activity design, Fit India assessments, and basic theoretical and practical knowledge of physical education. This phase lays the groundwork, equipping teachers with the foundational skills necessary to design structured PE sessions that are age-appropriate and needed to kickstart the movement in schools.

Once teachers have gone through the first phase of the training and have implemented the sessions in their schools, the focus shifts towards building a wider culture of sports competition in the second phase, Khel Mela. The field coordinators are introduced to more advanced methodologies that distinguish between general activities and structured PE sessions. These lessons emphasize the importance of engaging students in activities that facilitate teamwork cooperation, problem-solving, and inclusivity. The final phase, Khel Utsav, is targeted at equipping teachers to develop a sports culture where students participate with large groups of other school and community children. Teachers are trained to guide students through specialized sports skills, preparing them for more competitive environments while nurturing a love for physical fitness and activity. One of the standout features of Dani Sports Foundation’s training initiative is its direct engagement with field coordinators at multiple levels. The program works closely with NGO partners, field coordinators, and managers to ensure that the training reaches teachers.  

To evaluate the success of the training program comprehensively; we conduct both pre-program and post assessments, for teachers and field coordinators involved in the program. These assessments assess teachers based on criteria including their capability to develop and execute physical education sessions as well as their efforts in promoting inclusivity and engaging students in meaningful physical activities. The feedback collected from these assessments is used to refine the training modules and ensure continuous improvement. Over three years, the structured training ensures that teachers not only receive initial training but also ongoing support to implement what they have learned.

A key strength of the program is its alignment with the NEP’s focus on experiential learning and sports for all (NEP 2020). The training modules have been structurally developed that promote learning through doing, rather than relying solely on theoretical knowledge. Teachers are introduced to practical experiences, such as group discussions, and live demonstrations, during training so that they can experience the program firsthand. The approach ensures that teachers are not passive recipients of information, but active learners who can adapt their teaching methods to different student needs. In a perception study conducted by Dani Sports Foundation in Jharkhand feedback from 84 principals revealed that 75.42% of teachers have developed a greater interest in physical education and are proactively designing new activities independently after participating in foundation’s training. Dani Sports Foundation is currently making an impact across 2300 schools, with 2300 teachers actively engaged in fostering physical education. Over 2207 teachers have been trained in training programs to date, with the goal of sustainable, high-quality PE sessions reaching tens of thousands of students. In one of the trainings that was conducted recently, Mr. Suresh Kumar TGT Arts, GMS Asloo, Darlaghat said “I completed two-days training in Darlaghat organized by Dani Sports Foundation in partnership with Ambuja Foundation, which I found incredibly beneficial for a child's overall development. Meeting the knowledgeable resource persons during the training enhanced my understanding of the content. Now, I feel confident in independently conducting sessions and engaging students in physical activities to contribute to their cognitive development”.  

Dani Sports Foundation’s training initiative has made significant strides in overcoming challenges such as teacher motivation and retention. Many teachers, despite facing challenges with a lot of work, have successfully conducted regular PE sessions on the field, and credit goes to ongoing mentorship and shadowing programs provided by field coordinators on the field. These efforts have had a profound impact on students, particularly in promoting mixed-gender sports participation. This has helped break down barriers, enabling boys and girls to play sports together and creating a more inclusive environment in schools.

Dani Sports Foundation, by empowering the teachers, envisions making physical education a regular and integral part of every student’s school experience. As the program continues to evolve, it remains focused on its core mission: to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the joy of play and participation in physical activities, which build essential life skills, and thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

References

1. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). (2006). National Focus Group on Health and Physical Education. National Council of Educational Research and Training.
2. Ministry of Education, Government of India. (2020). National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). Ministry of Education. Retrieved from Ministry of Education.
3. Dani Sports Foundation. (2024). Internal perception study with principals and students from 120 schools in Jharkhand [Internal study]. Dani Sports Foundation.