What happened: NEP/NCF-SE and Samagra Shiksha push sports, physical education and yoga into school curriculum

The Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that sports and physical education are being integrated into school education across the country under NEP 2020 (National Education Policy 2020), operationalised through the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and the Samagra Shiksha scheme. The MoE’s stated objective is to treat sports as an integral part of curriculum-linked learning for holistic development—physical fitness, teamwork, and lifelong healthy habits—and to place special emphasis on yoga in schools.

Background and earlier position: sports as holistic learning through curriculum frameworks and school programmes

NEP 2020 emphasises holistic education beyond academics. Under the curriculum approach, NCF-SE is used to guide how learning areas are structured across schooling stages. Samagra Shiksha supports implementation in government schools, including subject-wise and activity-based components. In line with this, sports and yoga are positioned not only as activities but as learning content and pedagogy supported through textbooks and school-level programmes.

What changed now: NCF-SE integration, a Samagra Shiksha sports component, and CBSE making sports compulsory

MoE’s current emphasis is built around curriculum integration, dedicated scheme support, and clear school-level requirements. Key government announcements include:

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