MADURAI: Affiliated colleges, physical education teachers and energetic students who are medal-winning players in various sports and games tournaments from Madurai region have today lamented that they are missing several tournaments because of a weak Department of Physical Education in the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) here because it is not adequately staffed.
They have made a fervent appeal today to the university authorities, sports bodies, sports associations and to the Tamil Nadu Government for quick steps and set right the pitch for young players who are studying in colleges that are affiliated to MKU by understanding the students’ plight.
“The MKU doesn’t have a full-time Director of Physical Education right now. There is only one professor in the Department of Physical Education now. That one professor too has told the varsity authorities that he cannot be burdened too much and so he is not interested to be the Director of Physical Education. So, the players from various colleges are suffering as their students/players are not able to participate in inter-university tournaments in a full-fledged manner,” physical education sources and players have opened out while speaking to ‘Lotus Times’ in Madurai on November 9th 2024.
WHAT AND HOW THEY ARE MISSING?
“The players in MKU jurisdiction are finding it tough to take part in the tournaments conducted by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) etc and because of that their job prospects in sports quota are affected. Sports quota admissions for students in colleges also get impacted. We feel sad and bad that sports quota chances are missing. We need Form 2 and Form 3…..and Form 3 has high value, but when the MKU physical education department is not fully staffed and five posts are vacant in that department, what can we do and how can we send our players to take part in sports events,” a physical education faculty in Madurai has questioned today.
Colleges that are affiliated to MKU have explained today that Form 3 gives extra 5 marks for the players for their future prospects but that is becoming a question mark now.
“Today is November 9th…..The last date to apply to take part in a sports event in Telangana is November 15th. But till today, we have not recieved any clearance from the university. What should the interested colleges do now?,” a physical education teacher has asked.
When contacted, the HoD in-charge of Department of Physical Education at MKU Dr.C.Ramesh has said today afternoon over phone (on November 9th 2024) that there is no full-time Head of Department of Physical Education Department in MKU since the year 2014, but the programs and sports events are going on as per a prepared plan.
“I am the Director in-charge for physical education department in MKU. Recruitment of staff for this department in MKU did not take place due to some processes…,” he added.
However, the affiliated colleges that are active in the games and sports front and participate in various State-level and national level tournaments have said that Dr.Ramesh had recently informed the MKU authorities that he cannot bear the burden of HoD and Director at the same time in the physical education department of MKU where courses are also being offered besides Ph.D, and he wanted to be relieved as Director in-charge.
