New Delhi, October 1: Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today launched the Physical Education Professionals’ Module and highlighted the critical role of PE Teachers in identifying and nurturing sporting talent at the grassroots level.
The Union Sports Minister called for the creation of a comprehensive, nationwide repository of Physical Education (PE) teachers within a time-bound framework to strengthen scientific talent identification and systematic development at the grassroots level.
“Physical education teachers in schools and colleges are among the first to identify sporting talent among children and youth. It is important to map their qualifications, skills and expertise to enable their effective utilisation and further development,” Dr. Mandaviya said after launching the PE Teachers Registration and Onboarding Module on the National Sports Repository System (NSRS).
He further stated, “A nationwide talent identification campaign must adopt a scientific approach, beginning at the grassroots. Many youngsters may possess the right physical attributes and potential to become good athletes with appropriate guidance. Physical education teachers, who spend considerable time with these children, are best placed to identify such talent.”
Outlining the growing importance of Sports Science, Dr. Mandaviya noted that Sports Science has a key role across the sporting pathway, from talent identification and nurturing to the training of elite athletes.
“A scientific approach to talent identification must therefore begin at the grassroots levels,” he added.
Emphasising the need to take the initiative forward in a mission mode, Dr. Mandaviya called for a Physical Education Teachers’ Association campaign at the district level, along with registration and creation of a structured repository at the district, state and national levels.
He said. “Such a repository will help map the capabilities and specialisations of PE teachers and create opportunities for those with special talents to gain exposure at the national and international levels.”
The Union Sports Minister directed that the entire repository should be created within six months and said that its progress would be reviewed in a time bound manner. He said, “The initiative should be taken forward not merely as the launch of a module, but as a mission to develop sports in the country.”
The Physical Education Professionals’ Module has been introduced under the National Sports Repository System (NSRS), a centralised digital platform for maintaining a unified repository of stakeholders associated with the Indian sports ecosystem.
The launch event was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), the Physical Education Foundation of India (PEFI), and other key stakeholders.
