Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the government would take steps to appoint physical education teachers in every school, a move aimed at identifying sporting talent early and providing children with structured training.
Shivakumar made the announcement while inaugurating the fifth Mini Karnataka Kreedakoota-2026 at Kanteerava Stadium. He said every school needed a physical education teacher who could recognise children’s sporting abilities and help nurture them from an early age.
The Chief Minister said the government would work towards filling the posts in the coming days, but the announcement did not specify the number of vacancies, the recruitment process, the financial allocation or a formal implementation schedule.
He also said sports needed greater attention at both the school and pre-university levels. “There were complaints that sports activities were not receiving adequate attention at the pre-university (PU) level, which should not be allowed to continue. Sports should be given priority at both school and PU levels,” he said.
The proposed school-level appointments would place physical education within the regular institutional structure of schools rather than treating sporting activity only as an extracurricular function. Under the plan described by the Chief Minister, teachers would be expected to help identify ability and support training, although the government has not yet announced the duties, qualifications or service conditions for the proposed posts.
Shivakumar said Karnataka’s objective was to encourage sporting talent from villages through to the Olympics. He also referred to the government’s Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas initiative, which is intended to identify and promote young people in the 16-35 age group.
The government, he said, would provide Rs. 10 lakh each to every gram panchayat and ward for the initiative. He urged young people to use the opportunity properly and said the state was prepared to extend assistance to students and youth pursuing sporting ambitions.
The announcement places responsibility on multiple levels of the public system, including schools, pre-university institutions, gram panchayats and urban wards. However, the statement did not clarify how the proposed physical education posts would be coordinated with the youth initiative or how sports facilities and coaching would be provided across government schools.
Shivakumar also advised students to balance sports and academics, saying participation was important regardless of whether students won competitions. The next formal steps will be the government’s decisions on post creation, recruitment and implementation, along with further details on the funding and operation of Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas.
