MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, Jerry Maseko says the quest to revive school sports will need a partnership between government and federations.
By: Moyahabo Mabeba
The Limpopo Sport Confederation (LSC) has expressed delight following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revive school sport in the province.
The MoU was signed between the provincial departments of Education and Sport, Arts and Culture.
The initiative comes at a time when school sport in the country is teetering of the brink of demise.
LSC president, Ali Pole said the move to revive school sport is long overdue because most federations are struggling to develop athletes due to inactivity at school level.
Pole said the direction government should pursue in its bid to revitalise school sport is to strengthen its relationship with sport governing bodies.
He said “This is the greatest move ever to revive school sport. There is no environment that is fertile for mass sport participation than schools yards. Schools are the breeding grounds where talent can be unearthed and harness it to university level. Many schools in the province have over the years produced talented players who ended up being national flagbearers during international event. However, that breed is unfortunately nearing extinction.”
Pole said the idea of resuscitating school sport can work, provided government involves legends from respective sporting codes.
“Our province is blessed with many legends who can play fundamental roles in nurturing talent in their former schools. We should utilise their gifts in this regards. Government should also consider giving athletes scholarship like what most institutions on higher learning like Vaal University of Technology do by enticing students by offering them bursaries” Pole said.
MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Jerry Maseko said in the quest to revive school sport in the province, the provincial government decided to enter into a partnership that will deliver sustainable integrated plan to provide school learners with an opportunity to take part in an organised school sport programmes through accessible and implementable school system.
He said “The school sport programme is developed to ensure that the optimal condition for a child’s participation in sport and recreation is one of the best investments in the province. When the current MoU was put in place, it was done so with the purpose of addressing the challenges that prevented the establishment of a well-coordinated and seamless school sport system. The development of young people in the country is aimed at ensuring that institutional structures are in place to implement and monitor the delivery of a school sport system. The opportunity will give access to learners across the province irrespective of their social standing and backgrounds.”