By Thapelo Molefe
In a bid to revolutionise sports development in South African schools, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has announced the launch of the Track Plus Field School Athletic Series.
The initiative, set to kick off in January next year, is a collaborative effort between his department, SuperSport, Athletics South Africa, SA Schools Athletics and the Department of Basic Education.
Briefing the media on his first 100 days in office on Thursday, McKenzie emphasised the programme’s objective was to identify and nurture young athletic talent, crowning the top athletics high schools in the country.
He said the series would be open to all high schools nationwide, with learners under 15, 16 and 17 participating.
“We want to go out and find our athletes,” McKenzie said.
“We’ve joined forces with a corporate company to make this happen and we’re committed to getting our children off the streets and onto the sports field.”
The minister highlighted the alarming disparity in sports facilities between private and public schools.
“It can’t be that only private schools have access to quality sporting equipment. We’re changing that,” he vowed.
To bridge this gap, he said the department had allocated R69 million to equip rural and underprivileged schools with essential sporting equipment.
He added that this investment would enable schools to offer Olympic sports like pole vaulting and wall climbing, which were previously only available in affluent schools.
McKenzie said his vision was to transform the face of sport in the country, starting with the youth.
“A kid in sport is a kid out of court,” he emphasised.
“That’s our motto. We’re committed to making sports accessible to all, regardless of background or socio-economic status.”
He said the series was part of a broader strategy to re-establish sports as a vital component of school life.
The ministry recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Basic Education Department to reintegrate sports, arts and culture into the school curriculum.
The launch of the series marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s sports’ development journey.
“We’re back, and we’re going to change the face of sport in this country,” the minister said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
