Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates F4S programme at PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya Kolkata

The Union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the football for schools (F4S) programme at PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William, Kolkata, today. The education minister presided over the event in which 2,487 footballs were distributed to 349 schools in Kolkata.

F4S was kick-started in West Bengal with football-distribution events held at 21 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) across all districts of the state.

According to the official PIB statement, under the F4S programme, a total of 88,113 footballs will be distributed in West Bengal, which will benefit 15-16 lakh school students. Pradhan shared that approximately 10 lakh footballs will be distributed to schools across the country. He also kicked off an exhibition football match at the KV.

The initiative is undertaken by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), implemented by the Department of school education and literacy (DoCEL). The programme is supported by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

At the event, sports captains of the school, both girls and boys, shared their own perspectives. Speaking about his own love for football, Pradhan said, “Even a single football in a small school can inspire children to engage with the game and develop a genuine passion for playing.”

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NEP 2020: Sports integral part of holistic education

According to the minister of state for education and development of the North Eastern region Sukanta Majumdar, the F4S initiative will help in realising the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s goal of giving equal importance to academics and sports, and will promote “well-rounded” development among students.

Talking about the F4S programme in West Bengal, Sanjay Kumar, secretary of DoCEL at the ministry of education, expressed gratitude to Pradhan for conceptualising this initiative. He remarked that availability of footballs will spark students’ interest in sports and will encourage a sports culture at the grassroots level.

F4S programme 2025 in West Bengal is based on the success of earlier rollouts in states like Odisha, in 2024. This programme will be initiated in other parts of the country as well.