For this, the school has engaged karate trainers through India Martial Arts Association — a premier group in martial arts training — for imparting martial arts training to the students.
Talking to Newsline, Sister Chantel, the school principal said, “Through karate training, students will become more self-disciplined, will develop self-defence techniques, have good physical development. And moreover the energy of these budding children will be utilised in a proper way.”
After giving them a proper training, these students will also be sent for different state-level and national-level competitions. The principal said, “I am quite confident that my students have enough ability to compete in these competitions. However from class VI to VIII, it is optional for the students.”
There are three trainers, Sam, Akhsay Sethi and Victor, who are training about 1,400 students under the guidance of Om Parkash Verma, President of Indian Martial Arts Association.
“We are training these students on the pattern of China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan as training of martial arts is imparted in these countries at the junior school level. This training will also help in increasing the mental concentration as the simplest action in martial arts requires a perfect concentration. And along with self- discipline, physical fitness, confidence, communication skills and self-defence techniques also develop to a large extent,” said Om Parkash Verma.
Verma, who is the main instructor of martial arts, said, “It is equally good for boys as well as girls. The training will be conducted up to professional Black Belt degrees of instructor’s level with all the technical support from the Indian Martial Arts Association.
He further said that Sacred Heart Convent was the second school in the city which had made karate-learning compulsory. Sacred Heart Convent School, Sahnewal, had made it compulsory for the students of class first to class V about two years ago.