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Speech of the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Honourable Mr
Fikile Mbalula (MP), on the occasion of the Launch of the
Integrated
School
Sport
Programme,
University
of
Johannesburg, Soweto Campus Sport Grounds, Gauteng
Province, Republic of South Africa – 05 November 2011.
Programme Director;
Minister of Basic Education, Honourable Motshekga;
Deputy Ministers of Sport and Recreation and Basic Education, Mr G.
Oosthuizen and Mr E. Surty;
Directors-General of Sport and Recreation and Basic Education, Mr Alec
Moemi and Mr Bobby Subrayan;
Parents and Guardians;
School Children, Learners and Educators present here today;
All Distinguished Guests;
Sport and Education Administrators;
Young Sport persons present here today;
Fellow South Africans;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Today is national ‘childrens’ day’ in sport, recreation and education; we
call it a ‘childrens’ day’ because today we officially launch a long
awaited programme by children to play sport at school and be allowed
to freely exercise and be involve in physical education activities.
Today ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to officially launch
the integrated national school sport programme; a programme that is
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aimed at serving the sporting needs of children; a programme that will
open up opportunities for children to play and leisure inside and outside of
school.
Today is not a day for adults; it is a day for children. Adults are here today
to give undivided support and hope to these six hundred children who are
quietly seated here and millions others who are at home.
The time for fights is over; the only time that remains is to serve these
children to the best of our ability. We must put children first in everything
that we will do as we leave this venue this afternoon. We must put the
interest of the child first and think care to whatever we do; every action
we take whether it is the best interest of the child.
We are raising this being fully aware of the road we traversed to this day;
the thorny road and thunderstorms which were in actual fact not in the
best interest of the child but perhaps in the best interest of certain
individuals.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the United Nations Human Rights and Sport for
Development and Peace Framework states that:
“The practice of physical education and sport is a fundamental
right for all.”
It clearly articulates a right-based approach in sport and recreation
including physical activity and leisure which has been present in the sport
and recreation discourse since the founding of the United Nations that
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was preceded by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights that
endorsed a framework of rights and duties and recognized that:
“Everyone (including children and youth) have the right to rest and
leisure … and that … education shall be directed to the full
development of the human personality … and everyone has the
right to freely participate in the cultural (and sporting) life of the
community.”
Hence the participation of young boys and girls in sport and physical
activities challenges the stereotypes of ageism and discrimination, and
can in actual fact be a vehicle that promotes youth development and
empowerment of young boys and girls. Children’s increased participation
in sport, recreation and physical activity can at the end promote positive
development in sport and recreation by providing alternative norms,
values, attitudes, knowledge, capabilities and experience at a tender
age.
This could be strategically achieved if governments, educational
authorities in basic and tertiary institutions and other strategic partners
including sport and recreation can collectively provide access to
recreation and sport facilities and establish and strengthen youth-sensitive
programmes for boys and girls of all ages, and different socio-economic
status,
colours
and
geographical
locations;
and
support
their
advancement in all areas of athletics, sport and physical activity.
This should be coupled with a call to all our people especially parents and
educators to promote the full and equal participation of a girl child in
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extracurricular and extramural activities, such as sport, recreation, drama
and cultural activities.
Ladies and Gentlemen, sport is a vehicle for youth development and
empowerment especially for boys and girls.
It is a tool for social
integration and empowerment through tailored programmes for skills and
values
learned,
such
as
teamwork,
negotiation,
leadership,
communication and mutual respect. It is an important forum for providing
and accessing information to boys and girls on sexuality and health,
including reproductive health. Their participation in sport and recreation
can generate a greater understanding and knowledge of their physical
capabilities, their bodies and its functions, as well as a greater sense of
self-ownership and self-value and respect.
In this regard, the role of parents and teachers are of pivotal importance.
Without the full support and cooperation of parents and educators in this
programme our children will not be able to succeed. We are calling on
all parents to give full attention into the endevours of their children in
sport. Other nations across the world succeed in sport because of
parental involvement towards the sporting ambitions of their children.
Parents of outstanding personality see to it that their children to not get
demoralized towards their participation in sport and other physical
activities. We therefore urge parents to leave no stone unturned in
questioning and asking answers from educators when their children do
not participate in sport and physical activity.
This is because; it is equally true that the promotion of education can also
be facilitated by sport.
Sport activities in teams, clubs and sport and
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recreation institutions provide an excellent opportunity to provide
information and knowledge on the importance of the education of youth.
Hence sport can be a useful tool to expand educational opportunities for
children who are not able to go to school or who only attend on an
irregular basis.
School sport remains a corner-stone for development and success in the
Republic of South Africa. It is the best investment to the future of the
Republic.
It is the nucleus of success and investment the democratic
state can make towards the upliftment of children.
This would
undoubtedly increase our country’s capacity and capability to compete
and grow in a global economy and be a foundation for exposing children
at an early age to diverse healthy lifestyles through sport and physical
education.
In this regard, I and the Minister of Basic Education agree that:
“The integration of physical education and sports participation into
the school day will make sport accessible to all children who attend
school, regardless of their physical ability, gender, socio-economic
or ethno-cultural backgrounds.”
We will do this by promoting physical and motor capacities of all schoolgoing children to lead active and healthy life styles and affording them
opportunities to have fun and leisure at the same time and be active,
reinforcing their desire to make physical activity a daily bread.
This
programme will involve all children with disabilities to empower them and
provide an opportunity to understand and overcome barriers to physical
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activity; and lastly to motivate all out-of-school children and those who
bunk classes to enroll and stay in school to take advantage of the
opportunities provided by our democracy including sport and recreation
and education.
Through the partnership between the departments of basic education
and sport and recreation, through the school sport programme, we want
to see a national School Olympic movement grow in South Africa and
host a national Schools Sport Olympics by the year 2012. Through this
exercise the Ministries of sport and recreation and basic education will
sharpern the talent identification programme and place those talented
youth into specialist schools of sport for those children who have talent in
specific codes.
Of course, the developmental state has a responsibility to extract talent
and nurture it until high performance level. It is through programmes like
schools sport where the nation can safely talk of transformation at all
levels of participation especially at an early childhood age.
This will
enable us to groom and nurture talent at an early age for the future of the
Republic.
It is our collective wisdom to ensure that this happens. We dare not use
lip-service on this national priority.
According to the book titled: Sport for children and youth: Fostering
development and strengthening Education; between UNICEF and World
Bank:
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“Prevention is the best and least costly strategy where children are
concerned. By providing children with adequate nurturing, nutrition,
and health care we can reduce social and economic disparities
and promote social inclusion. Over time, we can raise the adult
standard of living and increase lifetime productivity by saving public
funds that would otherwise be needed for remedial education,
health care and rehabilitation.
Prevention also enables parents
and caregivers to realize higher earnings through more rapid return
to the labour force.”
Thus Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) committed itself through its
mass participation programmes to improve the delivery of schools sport
and monitoring and supporting the delivery of such programmes in
schools in the Republic. This work is only possible through collaboration
between the departments of Sport and Recreation and Basic Education
with the support of national federations and other strategic partners.
Thank you.