Games & Sports Division DZ
The Games and Sports Division (GSD) under the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education is the principal agent established to look after the promotion and development of organized sports and physical activities (SPA) in schools in the country. Since the year 2000, GSD has been promoting organized SPA in collaboration with various stakeholders in schools and at the regional and national levels.
With the guiding principle ‘Youth Development through Sports’, the GSD promotes organized sports and physical activities as a medium to foster holistic development (physically, mentally, socially and emotionally) in children and to enrich teaching-learning process. Similarly, mass participation is encouraged at all levels to facilitate participation for all children of ages, abilities and backgrounds to acquire the benefits that the SPA has to offer.
Today, the School Sports Program (SSP) and Health and Physical Education (HPE) have been instituted as a regular program of the school education system. The activities include development of standards, guidelines and facilitate implementation of HPE classes and sports activities in schools. In addition, GSD also administer sports personnel development, organize sports and athletic competitions and provide organizational supports to the schools.
Following are the aim and objectives of the Games and Sports Division, Department of Youth and Sports:
Vision: Enriching lives and social bonding of Bhutanese children through sports and physical activities.
Mission: To foster all-round development of children through sports and physical activities whereby all Bhutanese children grow into healthy, responsible and productive citizens.
Mandate:
- To formulate policies, standards and guidelines aimed at facilitating all round harmonious development of children through sports and physical activities.
- To develop programs and activities to inculcate lifelong healthy lifestyles, values, skills and enrich teaching-learning experiences and foster mass participation.
- To promote and preserve indigenous Bhutanese sports.
- To administer sports personnel management and development programs.
- To set standardize and ensure sustainability of the SPA both in terms of resource and continuity
- To facilitate sports excellence as appropriate.