The Assistant Commissioner for Games and Sports in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Sam Odongo has hailed the management of Global Junior School in Mukono for maintaining the tradition of games and sports as stipulated in the school curriculum.
Odongo was officiating as the chief guest at the inter-house sports competition for the nursery section to primary three of the school, where Mars House emerged the overall winner with 225 points, followed by Neptune with 194 points, Jupiter with 156 points and Mercury with 154 points in that order.
He stressed that government policy highlights the importance of each school honouring this requirement, as a way of giving the learners the opportunity to identify, develop, nurture and showcase their talents.
He advised parents where possible, to allow the children to exercise their other talents even at home, saying this enhances their academic performance in addition to raising their discipline, innovative skills, hygiene and other virtues.
In an interview, the patron for Mars House, Moses Omule disclosed that they have introduced new sporting activities like quad bikes, in a bid to match with the new school curriculum outfit, and to move away from the old style events like sack race.
In addition, Omule said, the school prepares their learners with Godliness as one of the core values, and that they are looking at coming to next year’s twentieth anniversary with their children in a holistic appearance.
The school headteacher, Anthony Kato Ssentongo praised sporting activities as a very crucial component in developing learners’ bodies as a step towards stimulating brain alertness, adding that they are treated to low organizational games matching with their tender bodies.
Ssentongo appealed to parents to develop a routine for activities that will build these children’s bodies, noting that such simple leisure activities instill patience and endurance to the children.
“Following our school routine programs, our learners love being at school so much because we utilize each and every minute of them on the school campus not only in academics, but also in other body and brain relaxing activities like Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) and sports,” the headteacher said.
The learners variously praised their teachers, the school administration and other stakeholders for good meals, enough leisure time in addition to the required teaching, all of which they said give a home-away-from-home atmosphere.
The winning house walked home with a trophy in addition to two million shillings, while the second house received sh1.3m, and the last two houses received shs900,000 and sh800,000 respectively.
