Call to incorporate sport into the school curriculum

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“School sport is the bedrock of sport development in the country. School sport and physical education are contained in the National Development Plan and are integral to development in the country,” the Minister said.

He made these remarks on Sunday as he reflected on the recently held National School Sport Indaba, which gathered sports leaders and administrators, representatives in education, international experts, government officials, former players, and activists in the sports sector under the theme: 'Towards an integrated and united school sport system'.

The Minister said the National School Sport Indaba gave impetus to the establishment of a blueprint for school sports in South Africa.

“The indaba has set the path forward for government, the sport and education sectors, and commercial, community and civil society partners to work together towards building a sustainable national school sports programme,” he said.

The indaba focused on a new theory of change, realising the need to resolve all obstacles that are in the way of an inclusive, accessible and quality school sport system in the country.

The National School Sport Indaba came to the following resolutions:

• Policy: To give effect to the collaboration agreement between the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Department of Basic Education through robust implementation, formal plans and monitoring of the agreement through formal practices.
• Resources: To advocate for the building of school-based sports facilities that are aligned to the broader community spatial design, to optimise the use of currently available school facilities, and encourage private public partnerships through a suitable model, which is to be investigated.
• Development pathway: Focus on getting children playing regularly. School sport must be educator-driven and build capacity across all role-players in the ecosystem through formal training programmes. Physical education should be introduced as a stand-alone subject.
• Stakeholder relationships and structures: A national macro body for school sport, supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Department of Basic Education, and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), should be established.
• Governance and transformation: Regulate the integration of the country’s fragmented school sport system.