State PCS - West Bengal (WBCS)

• 01 Jul 2025

Football for Schools (F4S) Programme

Why in News? 

The Union Education Minister launched the Football for Schools (F4S) programme by distributing Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) footballs at PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William, Kolkata.

Key Points 

• About the Football for Schools (F4S) Programme: 
  • FIFA spearheads the F4S programme globally to make football accessible to students through school systems. 
  • In India, the Ministry of Education implements F4S through the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), with support from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). 
  • As of January 2025, FIFA has committed over 9.6 lakh footballs to India and 129 other participating countries. 
  • The West Bengal rollout builds on successful state-level launches like Odisha in 2024, reinforcing India’s push for grassroots sports culture. 
• About PM-SHRI Scheme: 
  • About:  
    • The PM SHRI Scheme is a centrally sponsored initiative, launched in 2022, by the Government of India aimed at establishing over 14,500 PM SHRI Schools by enhancing existing schools to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 
  • Objective: 
    • The primary objective is to create an inclusive and nurturing environment that promotes the well-being and safety of every student, offering diverse learning experiences and access to quality infrastructure and resources. 
  • Duration of Scheme: 
    • The duration of the scheme is from 2022-23 to 2026-27, after which it shall be the responsibility of the states/UTs to continue to maintain the benchmarks achieved by these schools. 
  • Schools Eligible to become PM SHRI School: 
    • Schools managed by Central/State/UT Governments and local bodies. 
    • All Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas which are non-project and run from permanent buildings. 
  • Monitoring Framework of Schools: 
    • A School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF) will monitor performance, with regular evaluations to ensure high standards. 
    • SQAF is a set of standards and best practices as paradigms for attaining individual and institutional excellence.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) 

• The AIFF is the organization that manages the game of association football in India. 
• It administers the running of the India national football team and also controls the I-League, India's premier domestic club competition, in addition to various other competitions and teams. 
• The AIFF was founded in 1937, and gained FIFA affiliation in the year 1948, after India's independence in 1947. 
• Currently, it has an office in Dwarka, New Delhi.