Africa-Press – Kenya. County governments have been called upon to invest in sports infrastructure in a bid to promote talent development across the country.
Early Learning & Basic Education director, Nereah Orick said as a government, they were glad sports had resumed in schools, two years after they were suspended in 2020 following the Covid – 19 pandemic.
Orick was speaking during the official launching of the National Primary Schools Ball Games in Machakos Machakos Teachers Training College on Friday.
The six-day event will run until September 13 and will feature volleyball, soccer, handball, and netball (both boys and girls).
Orick said the theme for the ball games was ‘identifying and nurturing in primary schools.
“We are back with a bang. We have been out of the games since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Orick said.
The event has attracted schools from all eight former regions; Coast, Eastern, Central, Nyanza, Nairobi, Rift Valley, North Eastern, and Western.
Eastern regional KPSSA chairperson Nelson Gatobu told participants to display their talents and maintain a high level of discipline throughout the championship.
National KPSSA chairman Rashid Mbalo thanked the Ministry of Education for facilitating their travel to the East African Games in Arusha, Tanzania in 2019, where they won in soccer girls and volleyball (boys and girls).
“It’s our sincere hope that this year, we shall be considered to take more teams,” Gatobu said.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi urged head teachers in the county to allow children to use their sporting facilities even while out of school.
“During Covid – 19 period, lots of school-going children across the country became pregnant. In Machakos County, for instance, a government department reported that over 4, 000 girls became pregnant during that time,” he said.
He said: “If we were committed to sports, this would have been avoided, or rather the number would not have been as high. As a county government, we will work with officials from the national government, alongside all stakeholders in the education sector so as to improve not only education but also sporting activities in the county,” Mwangangi said.
Mwangangi encouraged children to participate in co-curriculum activities, stating that they were important for their health and physical well–being.
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