Pupils to write sports exams by next year
THE Government will with effect from next year introduce Sport and Physical Education as an examinable subject from primary to secondary level, a Cabinet Minister has revealed.
Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane last week said this will come with the implementation of the new education curriculum spearheaded by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Minister Hlongwane said the development was also part of efforts to achieve value addition and beneficiation through sport.
The move will see pupils learning theory and vocational aspects of sport and physical education during normal learning time before sitting for examinations at the end of each term.
“One of the things that we have agreed as Government is to mainstream sport and physical education into the curriculum of primary and secondary education in our country. I am aware that starting January next year, once the development of syllabi has been completed by the relevant authorities, we are going to roll out a programme where from ECD to upper secondary school, sport is now going to be an examinable subject just like Mathematics, Geography and all the other ones.
“We think that is a major milestone achievement. Value addition in that context resides in the cumulative accumulation of knowledge from the elementary stages all the way up to A-level,” he said.
Minister Hlongwane said the old education curriculum disadvantaged children who were talented in sport as it did not emphasise on sport and physical education. He said under the new dispensation sport and physical education will be learnt side by side with other subjects as opposed to the traditional scheduling of learning where the subject is considered as extracurricular activity and engaged outside normal learning hours.
“We have insisted and we are insisting that as far as time tabling is concerned within the school system sport, physical education and mass displays should also take the same place as Mathematics.
“In other words there should be able within the duration of a week to be provided for even as the first subject on a particular day and we are in agreement in that particular area with our colleague who is the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.”
Minister Hlongwane said development of sport should be taken seriously in the country as the sector had proven to be a major form of employment, source of income for many people and a means of eradicating poverty. He said in that light, his ministry was in the process of organising the sector to ensure that the value of athletes is fully appreciated.
“As far as the issue of poverty eradication is concerned, sport is a low hanging fruit in terms of creating employment.
“We are in the process of organising the sector and the industry in a way that the law of contract is respected, in a way that our athletes are not taken advantage of, in a way that there is prestige to get involved in Team Zimbabwe.
“It is important that we organise the sector in such a way that employment creation or provision of jobs is regulated and organised. We must have, as a sports and recreation sector, an employment council, a pension fund, a medical aid fund and beyond that even provision of legal services,” he said.