New Delhi: The Union Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports and Education have joined UNESCO in a nationwide effort to bring the principles of clean sport into classrooms, using education and everyday school activities to promote respect, integrity and fairness among children.
The partnership was formalised through an exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India’s Clean Sport Conclave in New Delhi on Wednesday. The initiative will be implemented through the ‘Sports Values in Every Classroom Toolkit’, whose video modules are to be made available in 13 Indian languages.
Bringing sporting ethics into education
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi reaffirmed the importance of connecting sports and education during the event. The approach is also reflected in the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, according to the details released after the conclave.
The stated objective is not limited to identifying sporting talent. The programme seeks to use schools as spaces where children can understand the values that underpin credible competition and responsible participation. The toolkit is intended to place those values within regular educational engagement, sports activities and classroom routines, rather than treating clean sport as a subject confined to elite athletes or specialist training centres.
“Sporting excellence and sporting integrity must go hand in hand. Talent, discipline and hard work are essential for sporting success, but integrity, fairness and credibility are equally important,”
Mandaviya said the cooperation with the Education Ministry reflected the government’s commitment to bringing sports and education together and was aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. He also referred to India’s fourth-place finishes at the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, citing them as signs of the country’s growing sporting strength.
What the agreement proposes
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Partners | Sports Ministry, Education Ministry and UNESCO |
| Learning resource | Sports Values in Every Classroom Toolkit |
| Language access | Video modules in 13 Indian languages |
| Core values | Respect, integrity and fairness |
The multilingual design is significant for a programme intended to reach students across the country. Making the videos available in 13 Indian languages is aimed at widening access beyond institutions that may have greater exposure to English-language sporting material. It also places communication and comprehension at the centre of the proposed effort, although the source material does not specify the rollout schedule, participating schools or the mechanism for assessing its impact.
The initiative comes as India seeks to strengthen its presence in international sport while maintaining public confidence in competition. Anti-doping education has traditionally been associated with athletes, coaches and sporting bodies. By placing clean sport values within school education, the partnership seeks to introduce the ideas earlier in a learner’s development and connect them with conduct both on and off the field.
National anti-doping focus
The conclave also brought together Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for South Asia Tim Curtis, Secretary in the Department of School Education TK Anil Kumar, Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao and NADA Director General Anant Kumar. International delegates who had attended the statutory meetings of UNESCO’s anti-doping conventions on Tuesday were present as well.
International javelin thrower Sachin Yadav also participated in the event. His presence underlined the link between the policy discussion and the experience of athletes competing in high-performance sport. However, the immediate focus of the MoU is the education system, where the toolkit is expected to support discussions on fairness, credibility and responsible sporting behaviour.
For schools, the proposed model could make clean sport part of a wider conversation about discipline and ethical decision-making. Its national reach will depend on how the material is integrated into classroom and sports activities, how teachers are supported, and whether students in different regions can access the resources in languages they understand. The agreement establishes the partnership and the educational tool; further implementation details will determine how consistently the values reach learners across India.
