It will feature all the pupils from everywhere in the province and will compete in soccer, netball and rugby.
The so-called Mpumalanga Intergrated Schools Sports League is aimed at ‘unleashing’ some of the hidden talent in the province’s schools, government has said.
Th winners will receive big prizes, such as a bus that will be owned and used by the school to transport pupils to go on tour.
Newly appointed education MEC Sibusiso Malaza awarded 15 buses to the 15 schools that won the Intergrated Schools Sports League.
“Our wish is that Mpumalanga should be in a position to feed all national teams with quality players in the near future,” Malaza told pupils at the Elukwatini stadium on Friday afternoon.
Malaza said the Mpumalanga government believes that if they “invest in school sports or sports development” they will be able to “unleash the skills that is required by PSL and national teams”.
“All children should be encouraged to get involved in sports because that’s where we get to see where exactly their talents lie,” the MEC said.
The league was launched on 30 June 2016 at the Mbombela stadium “to enhance maximum participation” of pupils in netball, soccer and rugby.
It has trained 343 teachers across the Mpumalanga province who will serve as coaches of their school teams.
Seven of the 15 buses were won by eHlanzeni schools, four by Nkangala schools, three by Gert Sibande and only one in Bohlabela.
Malaza said the buses should only be used for school related activities, such as taking pupils to sports events.
“We don’t want to see the government buses being misused, transporting people for other reasons that are not to school sports,” Malaza said.
(edited by ZK)
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