School sport revival gains momentum

Since school sport was suspended in March 2020 due to disputes over teacher allowances and lack of funds, Botswana has struggled to perform consistently at regional and international competitions. Athletics has been the only code bringing glory to the country, largely due to an out-of-school model. Various clubs have recruited school-going athletes to keep the candle burning in the absence of a structured school sport programme.

And when the Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, relaunched school sport in Lobatse in August, it brought a ray of hope. However, the programme failed to take off after teachers’ unions indicated they had not been consulted. Despite the setback, Kelebeng remains optimistic that school sport will return, noting that it provides learners with opportunities to showcase their talents across various disciplines.

He said efforts to reinstate the programme had been ongoing since its suspension in 2020, with last year’s launch encountering challenges because the initiative involved more than one ministry.Before its suspension, school sport fell under the Ministry of Basic Education.He said the biggest challenge was that the resumption of the programme clashed with examinations. “There were also concerns from stakeholders, particularly unions, who felt they had been left out of consultations,” he said Kelebeng said they now intended to start on a clean slate this term, adding that consultations had been held with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education, which played a central role in implementation. “We have agreed in principle that we must start as soon as possible.

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One of the key steps is to re-engage other stakeholders such as the unions, the former Botswana Integrated Sports Association (BISA) and the Botswana Primary Schools Sports Association (BOPSSA),” he said. According to Kelebeng, unions were consulting their members, while the sports associations had expressed readiness to proceed once consensus was reached.

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