No schools sports this year – ESSA

COVID-19 ravished the country and the rest of the world for nearly two years from 2020 to 2022.

This is confirmed through a press release which was copied to this publication yesterday by ESSA President Anthony Mdluli. In view of the suspension of sports in the last two years due to COVID-19, ESSA resolved to make consultations with Eswatini Principals Association (EPA), Swaziland Association of School Administrators (SASA) and Ministry of Education and Training.

The association of head teachers expressed great concern on lack of funds in the schools to enable the funding of sports ahead of academic needs in schools. The issue of time was also cited as a big challenge as the school calendar has been affected by repeated closure caused by COVID-19.

“Giving more time to sports will compromise the academic primary goal for schools,” reads the statement in part. Stakeholders also cited the issue of COVID-19 protocols; that the association and schools would not be in a position to meet the COVID-19 protocols, thus government would not allow ESSA to run the sports activities without assurance of the observance of the laid down protocols.

“The current political climate is regarded as non-conducive and stakeholders felt that there is likelihood that it would spill onto school games if schools will not all participate. None playing schools’ learners may riot and learners and teachers maybe endangered,” Mdluli said in the statement.

Following the forced break, in schools sports due to COVID-19, ESSA, formerly SSSA, felt they had to put sponsorships on hold and ‘we are currently in negotiations with previous sponsors to revive agreements’ in anticipation of a full return in 2023.

Concerns

Mdluli explained that in view of the above raised concerns the executive committee decided that sports under ESSA be deferred to the year 2023 to allow a full return.

“In the current sports calendar we propose that schools play at minimal level to allow schools to recover and stabilise financially. Minimal sports would also cut on time which learners could spend in formal sports,” Mdluli said. ESSA also encouraged schools to play sports at informal levels (between neighboring school(s) or within school itself (class vs. class or Form vs Form). They also clarified that they would send teams to the COSSASA Games and those players would come through the sports associations who have agreed to help technically. In the year 2023, the teams will be selected through ESSA structures.