Gender Disparities and Mismanagement in Peshawar Board Competitions

Gender Disparities and Mismanagement in Peshawar Board Competitions
Musarrat Ullah Jan

Competitions are organized every year in October and November under the management of Peshawar Board. Despite this, there are significant gender disparities and issues with mismanagement in these events.
Every year, Peshawar Board teams visit different places, but surprisingly, the Female Sports Director of Peshawar Inter Board and Secondary Education did not pass. Additionally, the favorite teachers from various colleges accompany the inter-board female teams.

During the matches held in Peshawar, students, instead of professional umpires, are tasked with running the Peshawar Board. Furthermore, match referees are appointed without sufficient knowledge about the respective games.

The executive body responsible for the games is inactive and fails to perform its duties effectively.
In 2022, Peshawar Board included approximately twenty-two games in the list for colleges. Strangely, sports like taekwondo, bodybuilding, weightlifting, and swimming, which are not played in male colleges, are also included for the general trophy. None of these three sports are played in any college.
Similarly, twelve sports have been included in female colleges, despite the absence of female football, netball, handball, and cricket teams in any college. Even women’s basketball lacks a college team but is still included in the games.
Individuals associated with sports demand that their concerns be addressed, and they call upon the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Chairman of the Intermediate and Secondary Board to take necessary steps.
According to their recommendations, separate competitions should be conducted for private colleges to identify players from both government and private institutions.

Moreover, there have been instances of government colleges bringing students from private colleges to participate in competitions, which raises concerns about fair play.
It is essential to rectify these issues and promote gender equality in sports for a fair and inclusive sports culture in Peshawar.