Promote the importance of education
KAINO NGHITONGO
So much has been said about sport not being a lifelong career and that one has to take education seriously.
I can’t hide it but I was seriously chuffed by the young Lydiana Nanamus, whom I profiled last week, and how she improved her points from 28 to 39.
What the NFA women’s desk has been doing thus far to promote education in addition to playing football is worth acknowledging and I hope all sport codes can do so.
It is not always about being active on the field of play but also about excelling academically and that has to be the core message to youth clubs especially.
Being active in sport is great, but knowing that school comes first is important and we have to ensure that our young athletes perform in their sports as well as academically.
A lot of young people tend to neglect either their sport talent or the other way round, but it should not be that way, as we have to promote them both.
Looking at the current status of sports in this country, we also have be very careful that school work is the priority and sport comes second, not only because of the financial situation but because of what comes after playing football, for example.
We do not want to see all our young people that we once celebrated being on the streets without a job or doing something better for a living.
It is the responsibility of every administrator to make sure the young ones do not neglect their school work or their sport careers, and that during this tough situation we find ourselves in, one has to be given priority.
I believe that much as we are aiming to reach a certain level in sport, so should we do in fighting youth unemployment.
The school sports union should ensure that while promoting sport, their coaches also emphasise the importance of education to the athletes.
We have failed to realise that when these young ones do not make it in school, we lose so much of our talent if they are not sucked in by any club and we cannot go on like that.
Like I always say, sport has the power to uplift not only the economic but also social status of a country, we should then not forget about such powers in our everyday planning.
It is disheartening to have learned that the school that produced our Paralympic champions (Eluwa Special School) produced poor grade 10 results, and that too has an impact on our sport.
Our Paralympians from that school need not only support their sport but the school as well, as often they are the ones who struggle with employment.
Coaches of such athletes should wholeheartedly support and motivate such learners to put in an equal effort with their school work.
We have so much talent, in sport and school, but it all depends on the attitude towards the two. And that has to be from the athlete and the coach.
Centres that provide after-school sessions for learners deserve applause but what is sad is that they are not available in most parts of the country.
Children in the rural areas do not have access to all the opportunities that children in urban areas have and that continues to rob us of talent.
This is a crucial time for sport administrators to find ways to keep sport running, but also to ensure that young sportspeople give their best at school as the future of sport does not look so bright.
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So much has been said about sport not being a lifelong career and that one has to take education seriously.
I can’t hide it but I was seriously chuffed by the young Lydiana Nanamus, whom I profiled last week, and how she improved her points from 28 to 39.
What the NFA women’s desk has been doing thus far to promote education in addition to playing football is worth acknowledging and I hope all sport codes can do so.
It is not always about being active on the field of play but also about excelling academically and that has to be the core message to youth clubs especially.
Being active in sport is great, but knowing that school comes first is important and we have to ensure that our young athletes perform in their sports as well as academically.
A lot of young people tend to neglect either their sport talent or the other way round, but it should not be that way, as we have to promote them both.
Looking at the current status of sports in this country, we also have be very careful that school work is the priority and sport comes second, not only because of the financial situation but because of what comes after playing football, for example.
We do not want to see all our young people that we once celebrated being on the streets without a job or doing something better for a living.
It is the responsibility of every administrator to make sure the young ones do not neglect their school work or their sport careers, and that during this tough situation we find ourselves in, one has to be given priority.
I believe that much as we are aiming to reach a certain level in sport, so should we do in fighting youth unemployment.
The school sports union should ensure that while promoting sport, their coaches also emphasise the importance of education to the athletes.
We have failed to realise that when these young ones do not make it in school, we lose so much of our talent if they are not sucked in by any club and we cannot go on like that.
Like I always say, sport has the power to uplift not only the economic but also social status of a country, we should then not forget about such powers in our everyday planning.
It is disheartening to have learned that the school that produced our Paralympic champions (Eluwa Special School) produced poor grade 10 results, and that too has an impact on our sport.
Our Paralympians from that school need not only support their sport but the school as well, as often they are the ones who struggle with employment.
Coaches of such athletes should wholeheartedly support and motivate such learners to put in an equal effort with their school work.
We have so much talent, in sport and school, but it all depends on the attitude towards the two. And that has to be from the athlete and the coach.
Centres that provide after-school sessions for learners deserve applause but what is sad is that they are not available in most parts of the country.
Children in the rural areas do not have access to all the opportunities that children in urban areas have and that continues to rob us of talent.
This is a crucial time for sport administrators to find ways to keep sport running, but also to ensure that young sportspeople give their best at school as the future of sport does not look so bright.
[email protected]
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