Children opting out of sports citing medical reasons or exams has become a regular feature, several school principals said.
The teachers lamented that many children are so used to the “comfort of the air-conditioned indoors” that they do not want to spend time outdoors even if the weather is pleasant.
A veteran teacher said that dust allergy is students’ most commonly cited reason to stay indoors and avoid any physical activity.
“The number of students opting out of sports is increasing every year and, in most cases, they get away because their parents support them. Till last year, I would battle this trend among children and try to convince parents otherwise but no more,” said Nupur Ghosh, vice principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
“We accept it when parents say they don’t want their children to participate in sports or outdoor activities because if they get injured, we would be the ones to be blamed,”
said a teacher in a south Calcutta school requesting anonymity.
Their muscles are not used to exercise or physical activity, said Seema Sapru, principal, The Heritage School.
“After a day of practice they have so much body ache or cramps that they stay out of the field for the next couple of days,” said Sapru.
“We also get letters from parents informing us that their kids have some form of allergy and can’t stay outdoors for long. We cannot push the matter further,” she said.
“In most cases, parents listen to their children and if the guardians don’t want their children to be physically fit, what can we do about it,” said Sapru.
Mollycoddling children leads to bigger problems. She said that if we shield our children from danger, they will never be able to deal with life’s harsh demands.
“Sports is not just about winning, it also involves discipline, teamwork, coordination and resilience to withstand challenges,” said Sunil Singh, sports coordinator at The Heritage.
Parents are “too apprehensive of injuries” that a child might suffer on the field, teachers said.
“Parents have become so protective of their children that they would be petrified of their children having any kind of injury,” said Madhumita Seal, vice-principal and administrator, Indus Valley World School.
“Earlier children would back out only when there was an acute medical condition or if there was a sudden bout of fever on the final day. But now excusing oneself is common,” said Seal, who has worked in several schools in the past three decades.
Indus Valley World School sends out a consent form to parents before the school sports, a practice that the school introduced recently.
Exams are a priority for board examinees, Seal said. “Generally December-January is the time for pre-boards, practical exams and preparation for the board exams,” said Seal.
From what the schools say, the fear of missing out on study time is not restricted to the board examinees but children of all classes.
“That is sad,” a school principal of many years said.