Sports Development Commissioner Daniel Igali took a delegation to the Ministry of Education on Tuesday to start preparations for Bayelsa State’s first Secondary Schools Scrabble Championship, an initiative ordered by Governor Douye Diri.
Key takeaways
- The state plans to introduce both scrabble and chess in secondary schools.
- Sports Council coaches will train teachers, who will subsequently guide participating pupils.
- Education Commissioner Emelah Gentle believes Bayelsa can reproduce its school basketball achievements in the two board games.
- Officials from the education and sports sectors attended the planning meeting.
Planning the school championship
Igali met Education Commissioner Emelah Gentle to discuss a wider programme for bringing scrabble and chess to secondary schools throughout Bayelsa. The plan follows an initiative presented by Diri during the sixth Governor Diri National Scrabble Classics.
The commissioner explained that implementation would follow a train-the-trainer approach. Coaches attached to the Bayelsa State Sports Council will first equip teachers with the required skills, after which those teachers will prepare students for the inaugural championship.
Igali said the purpose of the meeting was to create a practical framework that would allow the governor’s instruction to be carried out smoothly. He added that establishing scrabble in schools could help Bayelsa develop champions capable of succeeding at both national and international level.
Confidence in Bayelsa’s sporting record
Gentle praised the sports ministry for acting quickly on Diri’s directive. She pointed to Bayelsa’s history in school sport, particularly its performances in the Secondary School Basketball Championship, as proof that the state has the foundation to achieve comparable results in scrabble and chess.
The meeting was also attended by Simon-Peter Okene, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education; Pereyi Efeke, Permanent Secretary for Sports Development; Abednego Don Evarada, the governor’s Technical Adviser; Bibowei Lambert, Director of the Sports Council; George Mark, Head of the Sports Department; and Michael Alakere, Assistant Director.
