Sports, Education Ministries Sign MoU With UNESCO To Promote Clean Sport Values In Classrooms

Sports, Education Ministries sign MoU with UNESCO to promote clean sport values in classrooms (Sports, Education Ministries sign MoU with UNESCO to promote clean sport values in classrooms (Credit: SAI))

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya:  The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Education and UNESCO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to introduce clean sport values in classrooms across India through the ‘Sports Values in Every Classroom Toolkit’, in a bid to promote integrity, fairness and respect among school children.

The agreement was exchanged on Wednesday at the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India’s Clean Sport Conclave in New Delhi, in the presence of Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and UNESCO’s Regional Office for South Asia Director Tim Curtis.

The toolkit will use educational resources and video modules available in 13 Indian languages to reach students nationwide. The initiative aligns with the integration of sports and education emphasised in the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and aims to build awareness of clean sport from an early age.

“Sporting excellence and sporting integrity must go hand in hand. Talent, discipline and hard work are essential for sporting success, but integrity, fairness and credibility are equally important,” Mandaviya said, highlighting the need to strengthen clean sport awareness alongside India’s growing sporting ambitions.

The Sports Minister pointed to India’s fourth-place finishes at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games as indicators of the country’s growing sporting strength, while cautioning that doping remained a serious concern requiring sustained efforts in education, prevention, testing and enforcement.

“During 2025–26, the National Anti-Doping Agency of India conducted over 7,000 tests and more than 350 education and awareness sessions, reaching 27,000 participants,

“Supplement testing facilities at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad further help prevent cases of inadvertent doping, while investigations within NADA would be strengthened in line with global practices. The National Anti-Doping Act came into force this year and the government is also preparing to bring provisions for the criminalisation of doping-related activities before Parliament,” Mandaviya added.

Mandaviya further noted that the National Anti-Doping Act had come into force this year, adding that the government was preparing to bring provisions for the criminalisation of doping-related activities before Parliament.

Education Minister Joshi described the agreemt as a step towards bridging the longstanding gap between academics and sports. He observed that students who performed well academically did not always participate in sporting activities, underlining the need to expand grassroots opportunities and establish stronger pathways for young athletes.

“This MoU is an important step towards strengthening the connection between education and sports, which has been missing for a long time. Through this initiative, we are working to ensure that sports values become an integral part of every child’s educational experience. I’m very happy that children are now being educated about clean sport and the values associated with it. The values being introduced through this toolkit must spread beyond classrooms and reach every section of society. By integrating sports values into education, we can help nurture responsible citizens and build a culture of fairness and integrity from an early agem” he said.

Curtis said the agreement marked a new chapter in UNESCO’s partnership with India and could reach millions of young people, while also providing a model for other countries.

“Every child in the classroom can learn what it means to play by the rules. Through this toolkit, we are bringing three fundamental values into education and sport: respect, integrity and fairness,” the Australian said.

He stressed that teachers would play a central role in translating the toolkit’s principles into everyday behaviour, including how children interact with one another during school activities.

“The toolkit offers ideas and practical resources, but teachers are the ones who bring these values to life. We need to look at what happens in the schoolyard and how children treat one another in everyday situations. The real test of these values is whether children play fairly even when nobody is watching. That is the kind of integrity we want to nurture from an early age,” Dr. Curtis added.

He stressed that teachers would play a central role in translating the toolkit’s principles into everyday behaviour, including how children interact with one another during school activities.

Article Source: IANS