Edwin Naidu
Gayton McKenzie, the new Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, has an excel lent opportunity to significantly improve the state of sports in our schools during his tenure.
He will undoubtedly have to pay attention to Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, the Springboks, and the country’s athletes’ participation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
But he must also make school sports a critical priority. The future sports heroes and heroines in our villages, townships, and suburbs must have the means to develop their skills from the school level to the tertiary system and into our provincial and national teams.
Learners must have a precise direction for achieving their sports goals, and hopefully, they will find a champion in McKenzie.
The Minister had only been in office for only few weeks and still need to outline his priorities for school sports. We are sure he will do so soon.
McKenzie will get assistance from the leadership team elected by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee – the Eminent Persons Group on Sport Transformation announced by former minister Zizi Kodwa last year – which will present him with its latest report from the country’s 19 sports federations.
But let’s not expect McKenzie to be the only one responsible for improving the state of sports in our schools. Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube also has a crucial role in ensuring that sports get the attention they deserve.
As the country’s custodian of sports, McKenzie will have to prioritise a budget to develop sports in schools.
A Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Basic Education that expired last year outlined that the DBE is responsible for ensuring physical education (PE) and intra- and inter-school sports occur and that district and provincial school sports championships exist.
The MoU must be urgently updated to ensure learners are not neglected.
At a provincial level, the DBE’s sports departments will fund district and provincial activities, provide equipment and sports attire to schools, and train teachers as coaches and administrators, while the national department will fund
and host the National School Sport Championships.
On a positive note, former minister Kodwa hosted a school sports indaba last year, and these outcomes have been expressed in a new MOU with the DBE and the latest annual performance plans.
For McKenzie, school sports must be recognised as the bedrock for national sports development and talent identification. So, his department’s funding allocation must be part of an active national budget.
McKenzie shared his priorities during his first budget vote in Parliament recently, outlining the department’s strategic plans.
Minister McKenzie must make school sports a priority School sports are crucial in laying a foundation for our children and youth to take their place in national and international competitions. A robust school sports system supported and driven by McKenzie can help lay a stronger foundation for social cohesion and nation-building.
Let’s give the Minister time to get to grips with his challenging portfolio. We hope he will recognise the importance of developing a strong sports culture in our schools.
Learners and the country’s future sports stars will thank him for it.
INSIDE EDUCATION
