64 Percent of Karnataka Schools have Playgrounds, Betters the National Average

The grass is greener for them. They are the children of Karnataka and according to the latest District Information System for Education (DISE) report, 64% schools in the state have a playground which scores better than the national average, however there is a long way to go to better the percentage.

The report further suggests that 60 percent of North Bangalore and 69 percent of South Bangalore schools have `playgrounds. In 2009-10 when the Right to Education (RTE) ACT came into being, only 54% of the elementary schools in the country had access to playground facility.  This has been steadily increasing, and currently stands at 64% against the 60% of schools in the country which have access to playground facility (DISE 2015-16).

Child Rights and You (CRY), one of the leading NGOs working for children believes that it is critical for play to be part of a child’s daily regimen, as it helps build confidence, a sense of identity, problem solving skills, and overall, helps navigate life. This is even truer for marginalised children where everyday reality can be harsh.

CRY will be organizing an event ‘Shankara Buildpro Soccer for Child Rights’ to champion the cause of education through sports. The event allows for corporate teams to come and share the field with youth from a project area, and in doing so, upholding the cause. It is a day where a playground becomes the epicentre for change.

“In our experience in the domain of child rights, we have multiple examples of drop-out children going back to school, taking up sports and subsequently succeed in both the fields. The incentive of a playground cannot be overlooked as it motivates a child to go to school. Through the event, we want to sensitise people that sports can truly be a meaningful way to make an impact in the life of children and playground should be a non-negotiable entity in their life,” said Suma Ravi, Regional Director (South), CRY.