NAGPUR: The CBSE board has decided to offer a subject related to fitness industry for Std XI and XII due to the rapid growth in the industry in India. Fitness and Gym Operation will be a vocational course in sports from 2012-13 academic session and the central board hopes it will help students learn the skills that employers are looking for. course focuses on the physical education as well as the management aspect of the fitness industry. In a circular issued by Tthe board issued a circular last week and in it states that students will be required to study the local gym management scenario. Students will be studying about selecting a suitable location and establishment of a gym, its publicity requirements, policy, reception and information. The CBSE board has already started mass media and hotel management which are very career-focused courses. The central board is now in talks with various organizations for a joint certification of the course - either partially or fully.
The course exam will be of 100 marks of which theory will account for 60. There will be five units in the theory section (for both Std XI and XII) which will traverse variety of topics such as nutrition, fitness profiling, menu planning and financial operations. Practicals, which carry 40 marks, are not restricted just to doing physical exercises in the school campus. Students of Std XI will have to visit local gyms and study the procurement, placement and maintenance of equipments. In Std XII students will study tele-marketing and etiquettes, along with 'concept of dietary aids and gimmicks'. However, schools which want to start this course are required to follow stringent guidelines of the CBSE. First and foremost schools will need to have a fully functional gym and a permanent staff member who has a post graduate degree in physical education. This staff member will have to attend a CBSE orientation programme at a venue which the board will announce later. Students too will have to undergo a 15-day internship during their summer vacation at a gym designated by the board, at their own cost.