The National Sports Institute through its Sports Excellence Section has initiated a Primary School Sports Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage physical activity in Primary Schools. This program promotes healthy lifestyle, active and productive children to enhance their classroom learning.
A pathway is established for children to expose and excel in sport from school, district, provincial, and ultimately to the national school games.
Physical activity positively affects student’s mental health and emotional well-being. Participating in physical activity increases adolescents self-esteem and feelings of self worth which leads to confidence in their academic, athletic, and social abilities. Individuals who are physically active as youths tend to be physically active adults meaning that health benefits can continue throughout a person’s life.
The program will promote sports development and sports for development. The benefits include:
- Values
- Sport as a mobilization tool
- addressing discourse (health-related issues and other cross-cutting issues)
- inclusiveness
- empowerment of gender
- good governance
- promote leadership in school age children
- address school violence
- academic benefits
- friendship
Training will be provided for teachers and volunteers in the schools and communities by facilitating sports education courses in the area of coaching, officiating, and sports administration to assist in areas of their school sports program.
These courses will up-skill, empower and enhance coaches, volunteers, technical officials and sports administrators in the school to better manage and administer their school sports activities.
The school sports program also aims at creating pathway for potential players of athletes and teachers to be recognize by national sport federations.