Three Years Have Passed. But the "Mini Sports Complex" is Still Just a

 

Musarrat Ullah  Jan- Kikxnow Digital Creator

Every day, the sun rises over Peshawar; the school bell rings, and the children stand in lines to sing their national anthem. The sports ground of Government Higher Secondary School No. 1 Peshawar City looks the same: it's empty, colourless, and waits for the day when it might finally get converted into a "Mini Sports Complex."

This is the very project that was dreamt of in 2022. The dream wasn't of an ordinary person, it was of the school's principal and the then-General Secretaries of the Schools Sports Tournament, Naveed Akhtar and Kaleem Masood. They sent a request with high hopes to the Chairman of BISE Peshawar and the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, proposing that the school ground be developed into a modern "Mini Sports Complex" complete with a gymnasium, court, ground, and a 400-meter track.

Three years have passed. The land remains the same, the grass remains the same, the dream remains the same, and so does the silence.

Probably it is still "in process" within the Education Department. A file, after entering the "process" stage in the department, is no more just a file but a historical monument. The file for this project has also probably moved to the same category. Maybe it is buried under a table, with tea stains, or beneath the transfer papers of a new officer. The administration is still waiting for the "requests" to be submitted. And the result? The same old: "Yes, your application is under consideration." When will this "consideration" end? Probably when the current principal retires and his own students become new officers in the department to "re-open" the file.

Incidentally, the Peshawar Board annually takes an admission form receipt of Rs. 150 as "Sports Fund" from the students against the admissions of 9th grade and 1st year. Calculated roughly, the total amount comes to about 25 million rupees annually. The question now is: Where does this 25 million go? Not to the sports fields, because dust flies there instead of grass. Not to the students' facilities, because they are the ones constantly "pleading" for a ground. Probably this money too is awaiting some huge "project" that never moved beyond paper.

The sports in-charges who work in Peshawar are the most miserable people. They not only struggle to fill the sports grounds but are also expected to do this job without any kind of honourarium against their extra time. When inter-school sports start in District Peshawar, the sports in-charges present a woeful sight. They have no funds, no grounds, and, above all, no "cooperation". Still, they are burdened with thirteen different competitions. Many a time, they have to request a ground owner; sometimes, they have to pay a rent. This implies more time is wasted in searching for a "location" than in promoting sports.

 

Actually, our sports in-charges are not really athletes; they are finding-crusaders. They're looking for a ground, a file, a signature. And their training is more for the "paper war" than for "sports."

The secretaries have been changed, the government has been changed, and the principal is near retirement, but three years later, the Mini Sports Complex remains where it was. It appears that the only thing the officials in Peshawar do not like is the word "Mini." They may say that when they have to construct something, they must construct a "Mega" complex because "Mini" lowers their standard. But alas, even the "Mini" remains a dream, let alone the "Mega."

The students of Peshawar schools wish to take part in sports, but the space is not available—no ground, no facility. After school, most students cannot go to Peshawar Saddar or Hayatabad due to the expense of the distance. If the ground of Higher Secondary School No. 1 were modernized, then these very students could turn out to be tomorrow's best athletes. But probably our decision-makers believe that the sports field belongs only to the cricket board, not to the school.

This project is not just a ground; it is a symbol—a sign of how "seriously" our educational institutions take sports. We have students write essays on the importance of sports in the curriculum, but practically, we only give the student a "dream." When Naveed Akhtar and Kaleem Masood submitted this proposal, their goal was to create a safe, modern, and functional sports centre for the children. But seeing the fate of the proposal after three years, it looks like an old school notice board on which is written: "Coming Soon—Mini Sports Complex," and someone has written in chalk below: "Since 2022."

Interestingly, when a seminar on "Sports Development" is held, these same departments happily attend and deliver speeches. "We will protect the youth from drugs through sports." "We will promote a sports culture at the school level." And the audience applauds and leaves. Then, it’s the same file, the same ground, the same silence.

But it would appear this is all a paper culture, not sports, because here, "papers of sports" circulate more than the games themselves. "Planning" goes on in every meeting; "approvals" are given, "studies" are conducted. When the time for action comes, the same answer from one and all: "We don't have funds." This "lack of funds" excuse is so popular that maybe a book could be written on it: "The Shortage of Funds and Developmental Dreams." If the Education Department ever woke up, if the Peshawar Board ever decides to use that 25 million rupees for sports, if any officer ever shows the courage to dust off the file and make the "Mini Sports Complex" a reality—then perhaps we, too, will be able to say, "Better late than never.

" As it is, the children roam around searching for a field with their ball, the principal writes a new request, and the officials "play games" in their files. In three years, governments changed, seasons changed, but the school ground remains the same. It looks more like a "Mini Patience-Testing Project" than a "Mini Sports Complex." And if this pace continues, perhaps by 2030, a plaque will be installed outside the ground saying: "A Mini Sports Complex was supposed to be built here." (Implementation under consideration.)

 #Peshawar #MiniSportsComplex #KPEducation #SportsNeglect #Satire #MusarratUllahJan