SED sets stage for spectacular inter-district school cricket showdown
Srinagar, Oct 7: The School Education Department (SED) is all set to organise a mega inter-district under-18 cricket tournament for the school children from October 16 on a knock-out basis.
This development comes as a refreshing change for the valley students, who were grappling with various challenges in recent years owing to the Covid-19 outbreak which led to prolonged closure of schools.
The tournament, scheduled to commence from mid-October, will see students from various districts of Kashmir competing in the cricket. As per the schedule, the final match of the tournament will be played on October 30 while October 31 has also been kept reserved for the final of the tournament.
An official said the event aims to provide a platform for young school children to showcase their skills and to encourage physical fitness and teamwork among students.
In this regard, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has started its preparation to conduct the event and have communicated to all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to depute the teams as per schedule to the venue to participate in the tournament while the location of the venue will be communicated in due course of time.
"The Directorate has finalized the schedule for the Cricket Tournament. You are requested to submit the nominations of the players and the teams as per format already discussed with the District cultural coordinator of your district," reads the DSEK communication addressed to all CEOs.
As per the schedule, the tournament will feature teams from all 10 districts of Kashmir, with each district fielding an Under-18 cricket team.
"The department is also working closely with experienced coaches and former cricketers to make the event a success," an official said.
He said the primary objective of this tournament is to encourage wider participation in sports, especially among the youth.
"The schools across Kashmir have been asked to identify and groom talented cricketers," he said.
The official said the tournament will not only provide a platform for sporting excellence but will also foster unity and harmony among the youth of the Valley.
As the countdown to the tournament begins, the department along with schools are all gearing up for their participation in the event and are anticipating a thrilling display of talent, sportsmanship, and unity on the cricket field.
Notably, the tournament is being conducted at a time when several reports and surveys have suggested that the school and college going children have fallen prey to the drug addiction, throwing a major challenge for the heads of the schools and the teachers to counsel the students to stay away from the menace.
"The motive of holding such a big event and engaging students across Kashmir is to engage the youth in sports activities and we are hopeful that it will serve the purpose to keep students away from drugs," the official said. (Greater Kashmir)
