MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, yesterday met with representatives of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to discuss the implementation of a FIFA-sponsored football programme in schools.

Football for Schools is a programme launched by FIFA in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). It seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system and contributing to the development and empowerment of children. It targets children between the ages of 4 and 14.

The programme is being rolled out in all 211 countries which are a part of FIFA. Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean region selected to pilot the programme.

During the meeting, Minister Manickchand welcomed the programme and noted that it aligns with the Ministry of Education’s plans to ensure that students are well-rounded and graduate from secondary school having been exposed to at least one musical instrument, sport, language and TVET subject.

Some 50 coach-educators will be trained who will then be responsible for training children from the age of four to 14 across the 11 education districts.

The Ministry of Education will immediately begin to look at the curriculum for the programme to ensure the concepts that are intended to be taught off the field are age-appropriate.

Present at the meeting were Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alfred King; Education Specialist, Dr Olato Sam; Administrator of the Unit of Allied Arts, Lorraine Barker-King; Assistant Chief Education Officer – TVET, Marcia Paddy; GFF president Wayne Forde, vice-president Julian Lovell and Administrative Assistant and Lady Jaguars player, Lakeisha Pearson.