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MATABELELAND North teachers have completed a one-week training programme in minority sports at Virtuous Women Academy at the Jairos Jiri Centre in Nguboyenja. The participants got requisite tips in minority sports such as darts, pool and chess which they are expected to impart to their pupils. The programme saw 23 teachers from Bubi and Umguza districts receiving certificates of participation after graduation on Friday.
The academy seeks to introduce indoor games such as darts, pool and chess at grassroots level to primary and secondary school pupils.
Virtuous Women’s Institute director Pinky Sibanda said they were targeting 700 primary and secondary schools in the province and that they had reached an agreement with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to that effect.
“Virtuous Women is going to provide sports equipment to all 700 schools in Matabeleland North in these indoor disciplines. We realised that such sporting disciplines do not get prominence in schools so we decided to help develop these less popular sports,” she said.
“We had 21 youths who underwent a seven-week dart training programme and they graduated at the beginning of August, hence this project is going forward.
“We want to groom the next Peter Ndlovus in different sporting disciplines as the Ministry of Education gave us the opportunity to help teach pupils these indoor sports, hence the birth of Virtuous Women’s Sports Academy.”
Virtuous co-director Nhlanhla Sibanda said they were hoping to culminate the initiative with the creation of a schools league early next year.
Nhlanhla Sibanda said they hope to demystify the notion that darts and pool are games only played in the pub and will help the schools in acquiring pool tables as it will be a huge challenge to them.
The academy trainer, Everton Pondombiri, revealed that they had a training programme targeting sports co-ordinators whom they expected to pass on the skills to school pupils.
Online Reporter