Participation of school students in sports
activities is low in Sri Lanka due to the competitive national exam structure.
According to the government only five percent of the students following primary
education in the country are engaged in sports activities due to the heavy
focus on studies.
Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena,
Minister of Higher Education and S.B. Dissanayake and Minister of Sports
Mahindananda Aluthgamage jointly have proposed to implement physical education
and sports programmes within the school system and universities, so that
students with special skills and abilities in sports activities could be
identified and assistance provided to achieve national and international levels
in the field of sports.
Under the proposal least one sport will be
compulsory for all students from 2013 and sports will be a core subject for GCE
Ordinary Level (O/L).The cabinet has approved the joint proposal made by the
three ministers.
