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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Association Secondary School Heads (Nash) president, Arthur Maphosa, says they have reached a point where they are now desperate for a return to school sport.

Schools sport plays a huge role as a talent nurturing ground and feeder system for the country’s professional sporting disciplines.

National schools competitions have over the years been a good ground for talent identification and some have ended up in professional ranks locally and abroad.

National competitions such as the Copa Coca-Cola, Nash and Naph athletics competitions have been a stepping stone for a number of successful sportspersons in the country.

However, most budding sportspersons’ dreams have been shuttered by the Covid-19 pandemic as there has been no sport in schools since 2019.

The young athletes also lost the opportunity for exposure in the region because of the absence of regional competitions such as the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa.

Junior sport development, particularly schools sport, continues to suffer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This development, although it ensures schoolchildren are safe in times of the pandemic, is affecting budding athletes.

Maphosa feels that the absence of schools sport has far more detrimental effects than imagined.

“Without school’s sports it’s difficult to even manage the discipline of these kids.

These kids have lots of energy that needs to be activated and if you do not activate it through sport they will activate themselves through any sort of vices.

“It is our hope that we get a positive response from the ministry because we are now very desperate for the return of activities, we have really missed a lot.

The greatest fear is having these kids misuse their energy,” said Maphosa.

He said they have crafted a comprehensive plan to try and convince the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to allow sports to resume in schools.

“We have communicated with the ministry and we are still waiting for a response.

We have come with a programme for the year and submitted to our principals and we are now waiting on them to respond and we hope they do so quickly so that we do not lose more time.

“Both Naph and Nash have come together to come up with programmes that we hope will get a positive response,” said the Gwanda High School headmaster.

The damage caused by the pandemic is likely to be felt in a few years to come when the huge developmental gap yawns for all to witness.

-@innocentskizoe