Sports and Education ministries should work in tandem: FSL Vice President

FSL Vice President Ranjith Rodrigo briefing the media

By Althaf Nawaz

Football Sri Lanka (FSL) Vice President Ranjith Rodrigo last week stressed that both the Ministry of Education and Sports Ministry should work together if sports are to be developed in the school arena. He made these observations soon after assuming duties at their FSL headquarters.

Answering a question raised by the media on the development of football in schools, Ranjith elaborated: “Before developing any sport, both Education and Sports Ministries should get into a common platform without being at crossroads. The same applies with Football too. Unlike the past where we had a subject for sports (PT) in schools, in the recent past this has been abolished. 

“This is a very sad situation. To live a healthy life and concentrate on studies one has to be fit both in mind and body. But in the present scenario, it has been a one-way affair – which is only studies. To change this mentality these two Ministries’ have to work in tandem and infuse a common strategy to educate the segment concerned for kids to engage in sports while concentrating on their studies.”

Way back in 2001, FFSL President Bodi Liyanage introduced a system where all children were able to participate in dribbling football along with their studies without any hassle. But after some time this system was scrapped due to reasons known only to the administrators.

“After the launch of a new system in 2001, then President Bodi Liyanage supported football in schools, which worked for some time. Furthermore, after I took over as President, I managed to distribute 15,000 balls to all needy schools and clubs that were involved in junior football with the support of AFC/FIFA. But that system collapsed and it is in a very sad state except for a few other sports. 

“This is owing to various factors. Nowadays teachers are qualified to teach the subjects they are trained in, and they have very limited knowledge about sports. The other factor is that with the pandemic followed by the economic crisis, the cost of engaging in sports has become very high and a big burden on these educational institutions. This also has had a major impetus in the decline of sports,” he further added.

“With regard to soccer, AFC/FIFA is very keen in developing the game at grassroot level. Our regime headed by Jaswar is looking forward to working in conjunction with these Ministries. With the provisions from the said International bodies, along with a well-executed plan, we intend to revamp football to unearth hidden talent, and to train them to don the National jersey,” Ranjith concluded.