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Leonard Ncube
THE visiting International Chess Federation (FIDE) delegation on Friday interacted with chess players from schools in Hwange and Victoria Falls amid calls for the sport to be taken seriously as an education enabler.
Zimbabwe Chess Federation president Mucha Mkanganwi is hosting a delegation comprising Chess In Education Commission chairman Jerry Nash of USA, FIDE instructor Anzel Laubscher from South Africa and grandmaster Nigel Short from UK.
The delegation started with a teachers and chess coaches trainer of trainers course in Harare before heading to Victoria Falls for a workshop with learners from various schools in Hwange and Victoria Falls.
The visit is a learning curve for the local chess enthusiasts who are getting free drills form the experts. Mukanganwi said hosting the delegation is an honour for Zimbabwe chess.
“The reason we are here is there is a lot of chess being played in schools and we have a very strong delegation from Fide. We are trying to first of all run teaching chess teachers how to teach chess and how it helps students improve in academic studies.
This is the first time we are having the chess education chairman in Africa so we are very honoured and the people will also know what it looks like to be a world chess player,” he said.
After engaging schools in the urban area on Friday morning, the delegation proceeded to more schools in the rural areas. Saturday was set aside for engaging with more teachers and pupils as well as some administrative activities Saturday before sampling local tourism activities. Nash said teachers are realising that chess can have an impact on the success of students.
“We work with teachers that teach chess and use it as a means of teaching academic in the 21st century because those are the things that will help you in future. I am here in Zimbabwe on behalf of Fide and we have been training teachers.
We believe that chess has an opportunity and teachers can use chess to teach literacy, mathematics, science and help kids attain those 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creating thinking, collaboration and communication, and be successful in life,” said Nash.
The more than 60 teachers and chess coaches that were trained in Harare will impart the skills in their respective areas. Pupils were excited by the training.
Shelton Mwanjale, a Grade Six pupil from Thomas Coulter in Hwange said he started playing Chess while in Grade Two and the sport helps him to understand concepts and have patience. Brielle Karikega, a Grade Six learner at Happy Hearts School in Victoria Falls said her dream is to become a grandmaster.
“Chess teaches me to understand and take time in my learning as well as knowing about other people,” she said. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter