OVER the next two days, students of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will be participating in a training session under the recently launched Football for Schools Programme.

The Football for Schools initiative is a programme developed by FIFA and UNICEF that targets children from ages four to 14 to develop an interest and their skills in the sport, while simultaneously addressing many problems that young boys and girls experience across the globe.

This was explained by president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF),Wayne Forde, at Monday’s engagement held at the CPCE.

He said that aside from teaching the sport to children, the programme teaches life skills by infusing them into the teaching curriculum of the programme.

Some of the issues addressed in the curriculum include self-confidence, learning to win and learning to lose, among other skills that learners can take into adulthood.

He said that to ensure the programme’s success, having teachers on board is critical since they can impart knowledge to their students and effectively implement the programme in schools across Guyana.

Forde reminded the teachers that Guyana is the first country in the CONCACAF Federation of 41 member states to start the programme. He said that it is fitting that we seize each opportunity to make the Guyanese experience into a model that other countries can adopt.

Education Specialist in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Olato Sam, said that part of the Ministry’s duty is to create the enabling environment to ensure that young people thrive. He said that the partnership with teachers to effectively roll out this programme is important as they are some of the most dynamic individuals in the world.

He said that the FIFA Football for Schools programme offers a pathway for young children to develop an interest in the sport, inculcate healthy life skills and to equip themselves with the skills to become the stars that they can. “We know that we have that potential in Guyana,” Dr. Sam noted.

Dr. Sam told the teachers that every aspect of the two-day training session will add value to the schools and communities that they will return to. He said, “This is being rolled out in every primary and secondary school in Guyana. We hope that you can be the ambassadors in your schools and regions.”

The Principal (ag) of the College, Noella Joseph, thanked the teachers for being part of the programme and thanked the leadership of the Ministry of Education for partnering with the CPCE to have additional teachers trained under the programme.

The first training sessions were held in May 2022, and targeted approximately 45 teachers representing the 11 Education Districts.

This partnership with the CPCE will see over 50 additional teachers being trained.

Coaching Education Officer of the GFF, Linden France, told the teachers that the first half of the programme will be theoretical work while the second half will focus on the practical aspects of the programme.