The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday launched the first Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) in India with the Olympism-themed curriculum being integrated into the school education system in Odisha.
The OVEP is being developed in partnership with the Odisha Department of School and Mass Education and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT).
It was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a virtual presence of IOC Education Commission Chair Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski and other IOC functionaries.
The OVEP is a practical set of resources designed by the IOC to introduce young people to the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. It aims to help children become active, healthy and responsible citizens.
In its first year, the programme is to impact 32,000 children enrolled in 90 schools in the cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela; and once in full swing, it will reach around 7 million children. Odisha will take the OVEP to all its schools and higher education institutions in a phased manner.
The programme also aims to leverage the rich cultural and art history of Odisha in tailoring the OVEP curriculum to the schoolchildren. Teachers will be trained to deliver the programme in their own unique ways to suit the respective needs of their prefectures and local environments.
OVEP-based projects and activities help address the global challenges of sedentary lifestyles, lack of concentration and adolescents dropping out of school. The resources and toolkits are designed to make it possible for young people of any skill level to enjoy and learn from physical activity and gain lifelong social, cognitive and physical skills. To help adapt to the content of the programme to Odisha’s needs, the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust will partner with the IOC in implementation, training, delivery, monitoring and evaluation.
The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH), which leads the OVEP for the IOC, will conduct training sessions for “master trainers” nominated by the State along with trainers from the ABFT who, in turn, will kick-start the programme with focus groups of eight to ten schools. Orientation sessions will be held for school principals, education and sports officials and other core group members involved in the project.