-By ArdorComm News Network
May 25, 2022
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), a pilot programme aimed at promoting values-based curriculum to help youngsters become active, healthy, and responsible citizens, on Tuesday. Odisha is the first state in the country to introduce OVEP, according to officials. The programme is founded on the Olympic principle that learning occurs when the body and mind are developed in a balanced manner. The OVEP programme is based on these pillars, and it takes advantage of sport’s universality to improve curriculum delivery both inside and outside the classroom.
According to a press release from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), programmes and activities based on OVEP help to address worldwide concerns such as sedentary lifestyles, lack of concentration, and adolescent dropout.
The initial pilot project seeks to reach 32,000 children enrolled in 90 schools across Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, with a total effect of 70 lakh children across India once fully operational.
“This will be the beginning of (a) new Olympic movement in the country,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remarked in a virtual event.
He emphasised that Olympic principles of excellence, friendship, and respect would help youngsters, and he hoped that these collaborations would contribute significantly to the impacting and holistic development of schoolchildren.
“Education is an integral part of the Olympic Movement’s continual contribution to society,” said IOC Education Commission Chair Mikaela Jaworski.
OVEP has been in use around the world since 2006, according to the chair.
The initiative is being developed in partnership with the Odisha Department of School and Mass Education (SME) and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust, and will be integrated into the school curriculum.
The OVEP will be gradually introduced to all schools and higher education institutions in Odisha. According to the IOC, the project aims to personalise the curriculum for children by leveraging on the state’s rich cultural and artistic legacy.