KARACHI: We are proud of the performance of the Pakistan team and hope that it will qualify for the final after winning its semi-final, which they play today against Sri Lanka. We wish and pray that the team is successful in the final as well, and goes on to win the World Twenty20.
Pakistan needs to ensure that it produces young cricketers and an easy and cost-effective way of doing this is to make sports and physical exercise compulsory in all government and private schools, beginning from the primary level and continuing till college. A small incentive can be given to students who excel in sports and this can be in the form of a few extra marks added to their final examination grade, and if that is not possible, then they should be awarded a certificate of merit.
Participation in sports should be encouraged for girls as well. This is important given the nature of our society where girls are usually discouraged from doing such things. If such a system is put in place, we can produce sportsmen and sportswomen of high calibre.
(Ex-senator) Mrs Tanvir Khalid
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2012.
