Sourav Ganguly Advocates for Sports as Part of Children’s Educational Curriculum: World Children’s Day was established for the first time in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and since then it is celebrated on every year on November 20. This day marks to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. Furthermore, since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights. Every one of us, whether parents, health professionals, governments, civil society activists, community and religious elders, corporate and media professionals, and our younger generation including children themselves, can play a significant role in in making World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations. Extending his efforts fulfilling the vision of the UN regarding children’s all-round development, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, on Friday, November 18, advocates for sports as part of children’s educational curriculum (an integral part of school education) in the country. He said that it can improve life skills of children. He released a video message before World Children’s Day and advocated the rights of education for every child regardless of cast, creed, ethnicity, and region, and language.
What Ganguly Said in His Video Message
The message released on social media by UNICEF has Ganguly saying, “On behalf of children, I request that all children are provided opportunities to play and also to include sports as an integral part of their school education. Children’s participation in sports can improve their learning and life skills.”
As the World Children’s Day offers us an opportunity to advocate, promote, and celebrate children’s rights, and to translate them into dialogues and actions for the betterment of children globally, Saurav Ganguly’s pitch for sports as an integral part of school education, will pave the way for every stakeholder to discuss, legislate, and implement the laws providing children with opportunities that can change their life skills.
Every year UNICEF organizes week-long programs on young achievers to spread the message of hope and positivity in society, starting on Indian National Children’s Day on November 14 the events goes on till November 20, the World Children’s Day. Ganguly’s message has come at the time the UN has dedicated the year 2022 to sports, focusing on children’s achievements in sports.
Ganguly further said in his message, “Every child should have the right to access quality education, irrespective of her gender, class, caste or religion. Do you know that investing in girls’ education has the potential to transform communities, countries and the entire world?”
Saurav Ganguly urged everybody to “come together to ensure that all children are in school and continue learning.”
Commenting on Saurav’s message today, the West Bengal Chief of Field Office of UNICEF Mohammad Mohiuddin said that Ganguly’s advocacy will certainly help more people become aware of children’s causes and they can be motivated to act for change.
Film “Heroes” on Child Achievers in Sports
Interestingly and most importantly, Ganguly has supported for a film called “Heroes” on children who made significant achievements in sports and have outstanding feats to their credit. The film touches the lives of these children deeply: the manner in which they live, challenges facing, concerns they have, and achievements they made despite all odds.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, the UNICEF Regional Ambassador for South Asia, famous film personality Priyanka Chopra, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and Ayushman Khurana, the UNICEF India Celebrity Advocate, are also featuring in the film.
Hope for Children with Better Life Skills
As the UN intends to educate the public on issues of concerns, mobilize political will and resources to address problems at global level, and celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity, we hope that the plight of children will be minimized or end sooner, and we as a society will provide them with every opportunity and environment to let them grow and develop, and make them improve their life skills, especially via integration of sports with education in school.