Work out in class and score marks!

[1]

Struggling to stick to your fitness regime? Things might get a little easier with the CBSE Board introducing ‘Fitness & Gym Operation’ as a vocational course.

“The course will initially be introduced in 50 selected schools in class X1 from the academic session 2012-13 on a pilot basis.

Based on the feedback received from these schools, it will be extended to other affiliated schools in the country and abroad from the session 2013-14,” said Pushkar Vohra, assistant education officer, Physical Education and Sports.

The Board is in discussions with various organisations for joint certification of the course.

Courses such as this help students to take advantage of new employment opportunities that are opening up. Logistics, retail management, legal education, web designing and mass media will also be included in the curriculum in the near future.

Schools that want to offer the fitness course have to satisfy some conditions such as having a permanent teacher who is a post-graduate in Physical Education, and a gym on the school premises.

Students who opt for the subject will have to undergo 15 days of in-house internship training in the institution/gym designated by the Board during the summer vacation falling between class X1 and X11.

“Schools should bear the cost of internship training for their students. Also they should send the physical education teacher for two in-house orientation programmes each of 15 days duration. The first one will be held in May-June 2012 and the second in May-June 2013,” Mr Vohra said.

Students have shown great enthusiasm for the course, but some schools are a little sceptical. Remya Manu, who teaches Physical Education at the Najath Public School, Kalamassery, says boys will be keen because it gives them the chance to build those much-coveted six packs, but girls would prefer aerobics.

“The gym is all about projecting your muscles and girls won’t like that. Instead, aerobics will suit them best,” she says. Girls might also prefer dance to gym training.

But some girls have welcomed the new course.

“There is no activity exclusively for boys. Let the course be there with options as ultimately it’s a fitness programme. Also, there is a career opportunity in the field of sports.

Those interested can join the classes, rest can go for other options,” says Simran Rahim, a class XI student of the Jannath Residential Public School.

The course consists of two parts — theory (60 marks) and practical (40 marks). While the theory deals with physiology of exercise and training, diet, and nutrition etc, the practical includes visits to local gyms, body composition analysis, fitness testing, weight training, cardio training, floor exercises and Swiss ball exercises training.

“Our school has fitness equipment but rarely do the students make use of it. If a course is introduced and it’s followed scientifically and systematically, the students will benefit as a sound mind lies only in a sound body,” says Aakash Radhakrishnan, Class XII student of Amritha Vidyalaya.