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"We will soon have degrees for sports," announces Delhi Chief Minister
The Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday evening attended the Aaj Tak Vote on Delhi conclave where he was asked about his government's agenda if voted to power in the upcoming Delhi Elections. Among other questions, Mr. Kejriwal was asked about his plans of opening a "Sports University" in the national capital, which he had announced in October last year. The Chief Minister responded to the question by mentioning that the university is going to be a first-of-its-kind, which will take a holistic approach in facilitating sports. It is even going to provide with degrees on different sports.
The Chief Minister said:
We have totally new kind of vision for the sports university, where training for all sports will be provided. For instance, if you are interested in kabaddi, you cannot have a degree in kabaddi, you either have to take a degree in science or arts. You cannot say that you have played kabaddi for four years. But with the new sports university coming up, you can get a degree in kabaddi. Degree for every other sport. I just wish this would inspire more youngsters to come forward and take up sports. And further, we can disburse job relating to sports. This is the dream that we harbour. An athlete from Delhi would come up and win medals for India at the Olympics, which would be a dream come true for us.
The Delhi government in October had announced that they are going to open a "Sports University" in the national capital.
The chief minister said the "Sports University" would come up on a 90-acre land in the Mundka area. According to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital, the Delhi Sports University (DSU) Bill grants the university the right to establish constituent schools and colleges.
The main aim of the university would be to groom the students who would excel in various sports in school, the government said.
The chief minister said earlier, a sportsperson used to be uncertain about his future just for the fact that if he was not able to establish a career in sports, he would just be called a school pass out.
"A sportsperson would not get a job because every job requires at least a graduation degree to get through. The sports university will grant you a degree in sports such as cricket and hockey."
"A passionate sportsperson can now devote all of his time to playing and excelling in sports," he said.
A sportsperson's graduation, post-graduation and doctorate degrees will be in the subjects of sports, Kejriwal said, adding that he could show his degrees wherever required. Giving an example, Kejriwal said a sportsperson could also appear in the civil services examination because he would be considered a graduate after getting the degree.
The curriculum of the university
Kejriwal said the curriculum of the university and the subjects were in the process of ideation and would be developed following further deliberations with experts.
He said the DSU Bill defined the administrative and legal structure of the university. Several experts would be involved at various stages to design and give a definite structure to the curriculum of the courses, he added.
