Punjab to build 1,000 school playfields, launch student sports scholarships

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to build 1,000 playfields in schools across the province and introduce monthly scholarships for 1,000 talented children identified through inter-school competitions.

The decisions were taken during a meeting between Punjab Sports Minister Faisal Ayub and Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat in Lahore on Wednesday. The meeting also agreed that ‘Khiltey School’ meetings would be held in the first week of every month.

According to the decisions taken at the meeting, the government will also launch a grassroots talent hunt programme alongside the construction of sports fields in schools and the scholarship scheme for students performing in inter-school contests.

Faisal Ayub said around 2.5 million children from Punjab would take part in different stages of the inter-school competitions. He said the initiative was aimed at widening participation in school sports while improving access to facilities. "Small sports courts will be constructed where grounds are not available," he informed.

The sports minister also said sports grounds would be developed at the union council level, expanding the plan beyond school campuses.

Focus on girls’ participation

Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said teaching interns would be appointed in 1,000 schools to help promote sports among students. He also said the government would ensure that women and girls receive the same access to sports infrastructure as male students and athletes.

"Equal sports facilities will be provided to women and girls. Besides this, indoor sports facilities will also be ensured for female athletes," he added.

The measures announced at the meeting indicate a broader effort to strengthen sports activity in schools through infrastructure, staffing support and talent identification at an early stage.

Volleyball federation raises pending gymnasium issue

Separately, Pakistan Volleyball Federation Chairman Mohammad Yaqoob reminded the Sports Board Punjab to move ahead with a volleyball gymnasium project that he said had already been approved two years ago.

Yaqoob said the Sports Board Punjab approved the volleyball gymnasium plan in 2024 and that funds had also been sanctioned. However, he said the board had still not been able to identify land for the facility in Lahore.

The latest school sports decisions come as provincial authorities outline a wider push to improve sports infrastructure and identify talent through organised competition at the school level.