The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has asked its affiliated schools to register all students from Classes I to XII for the council’s “physical health and fitness assessment” programme.

Under Active CISCE programme, the council plans to assess physical fitness parameters of every student and make physical activities part of a child’s routine.

“As open spaces become increasingly scarce, schools serve as essential and secure environments where children can engage in physical activity...the council seeks to transform school campuses into vibrant centres for fitness and sports, encouraging students to lead healthier, more balanced lives while supporting their academic growth,” the council said in a circular sent to heads of schools on Monday.

A web portal for the programme will be launched on July 15, and the registration of all students should be complete by September 30, the council has said.

“As part of this initiative, schools are required to ensure that all students from Classes I to XII are registered on the CISCE Physical Health and Fitness Assessment web portal.... This portal will feature grade and age-specific test modules,... video tutorials to improve fitness,” the circular said.

Each registered student will receive an online CISCE physical health and fitness assessment report card, which will include a baseline fitness score, health and lifestyle inputs on diets, screen time and sleep, sports skill badges and early talent identification, the circular said.

“Since CISCE is following data integration, the registration of students in Classes IX and XI and the confirmation of the entries for the ICSE and ISC examinations will be accepted by the system only after successful registration and data submission for all students from Classes I to X (for schools with only ICSE) and Classes I to XII (for schools up to ISC) for the CISCE Physical Health and Sports Assessment,” it said.

Mousumi Saha, principal of National English School, said screen time of children has gone up and they hardly play on the field and simultaneously obesity is on the rise. “Such an initiative hopefully will counter both.”

Several schools said the council will have access to the school’s database. “If we have to register all our students, the council will have access to information of the school’s strength,” said Terence John, director education and development, Julien Day Schools.