Fitness crisis: 95% students not physically active, reveals KAMS study
Bengaluru: A staggering 95% of school students are not engaging in physical activities, even during scheduled Physical Training (PT) periods, according to a recent study by the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS).
The findings, cited by The New Indian Express on Saturday, raise serious concerns about the deteriorating health and fitness levels among school children in the state.
The study was conducted following a sharp increase in health issues reported among students, including fatigue, low blood pressure, and early symptoms of cardiac-related conditions. Based on years of observations across schools, KAMS attributes these issues to a growing sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and a disturbing lack of physical engagement both at home and in school.
“Structured opportunities for exercise and cultural involvement are being ignored by students, with many showing complete disinterest in physical or extracurricular engagement. Alarmingly, this withdrawal is often enabled by parents, who routinely seek exemptions from PT classes, citing vague complaints such as body pain or fatigue,” a release by KAMS stated.
KAMS General Secretary Shashi Kumar, during school visits, has personally observed the lack of participation. “Even during my school visits, I ask teachers to check how many students do any physical activity, be it jogging, exercise, or yoga. In most schools, you won’t find even 1 to 2 percent of students doing it regularly,” TNIE quoted Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, KAMS, as saying.
The association emphasised that this trend is not limited to the school environment but is deeply rooted in home settings. Poor nutritional choices, especially high consumption of processed and junk food, coupled with the lack of participation in household responsibility and excessive screen time, are contributing to reduced stamina and deteriorating physical health.
KAMS also raised alarm over the health of female students, who are increasingly displaying symptoms of anemia, low endurance, and other signs of malnutrition and inactivity. While some attribute these issues to post-COVID conditions or environmental changes, the association opined that most are lifestyle-related and preventable.
Stay fit, Grow strong: KAMS' four-point action plan
To address this growing concern, KAMS has proposed the following steps:
* Parents must take responsibility for ensuring daily physical activity at home
* Schools should accept exemptions from PT only on medical grounds
* Health education must begin at home
* Screen time and food habits should be actively monitored and corrected
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
