CPCE students to participate in “Football For Schools” training

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 in the sport, while simultaneously addressing many problems that young boys and girls experience across the globe. This was explained by Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde at the engagement held at the CPCE.
He said that in addition to teaching the sport to children, the programme teaches life skills by infusing them into the teaching curriculum of the programme.
These 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 onboard was critical since they could impart knowledge to students and effectively implement the programme in schools across Guyana.

Forde reminded the teachers that Guyana was the first country in the CONCACAF Federation of 41 member states to start the programme. He said that it was fitting that we seized each opportunity to make the Guyanese experience into a model that other countries can adopt.
Education Specialist in the Education Ministry, Dr Olato Sam said that part of the Ministry’s duty was to create the enabling environment to ensure that young people thrive. He said that the partnership with teachers to effectively roll out this programme was important as they were some of the most dynamic individuals in the world.

He said that the FIFA “Football for Schools” programme offered a pathway for young children to develop an interest in the sport, inculcate healthy life skills and equip them with the skills to become the stars that they could be. “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 would add value to the schools and communities they would 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.”
CPCE Principal (ag) Noella Joseph thanked the teachers for being part of the programme and thanked the leadership of the Ministry 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 more than 50 additional teachers being trained.
Coaching Education Officer of the GFF, Linden France told the teachers that the first day and the first half of the second day would feature theoretical work while the second half of today would focus on the practical aspects of the programme. (Education Ministry’s Public Relations Department)