By MICHAEL MIYOBA
EDUCATION Minister Douglas Syakalima says the 12, 000 balls received from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) through the FIFA Football for Schools project will promote the growth of talent in schools.
Speaking after paying a courtesy call on FAZ General Secretary Rueben Kamanga at FAZ House in Lusaka, Syakalima said schools are crucial hubs for talent identification.
Syakalima said sport is mandatory under the new dawn administration.
“Talent is in schools, and we need to possess talent ourselves as schools. Ever since the President (Hakainde Hichilema) talked about sports in schools, sport is now mandatory. Apart from physical exercise and earning a living out of sport, we can also enhance the cognitive mental state of our pupils, so we want to encourage our colleagues in schools to be part of this project,” Syakalima said.
“We came here at Football House so that we quicken the distribution process. We shall distribute the footballs so that we request for more equipment. We must promote sport, especially football. Football is a money spinner, let us use sport for our children to become entrepreneurs,” Syakalima said.
Syakalima was happy that girl’s football will also be promoted to complement the achievements attained by various national teams led by the Zambia women’s national team, who made their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“The goodness is that even the girl-child is playing football. There is no discrimination between male and female football, everyone is playing football and all of them are doing quite a good job because talent is there. Starting sport from a young age will see pupils loving football at a young age,” Syakalima said.
FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga who handed over the 12, 000 balls to the Ministry of Education as part of the FIFA Football for Schools project said the Ministry of Education will spearhead the project in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Art.
“The Minister of Education was here to pay a courtesy call and check on the equipment that we have received form our partners FIFA that is meant for schools. Being the one in the driving force, we are happy that the minister came here so that we kickstart the distribution of the balls,” Kamanga said.
Meanwhile, FAZ Technical Director Lyson Zulu said the distribution of the match balls was inspired by the launch of the School Football League under the FIFA Grassroots Project in 2021.
“Through the FIFA Football for Schools project, we trained 60 teachers and 50 referees and that is the project we presented to FIFA and now Zambia is one of the countries that has been approved for the FIFA Football for Schools project where we have received 12, 000 balls,” Zulu said.
Zulu noted that FIFA will send experts to introduce an App (application) that will be accessed by all the schools because it contains all the sessions that the teachers will have to conduct with the pupil.
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