School sports fans in Lira are applauding a decision by the Ministry of Education to reschedule all national school sports tournaments for the holidays.
They say that with the new schedule, students will have more time for their studies and will be able to dedicate their efforts to sports when the tournaments are held.
The Ministry of Education announced that the national primary schools sports competitions will take place from April 25th to May 1st in Kabarole district.
Aldo Otto, General Secretary of the National Schools Games and Sports Association, says the new schedule was the result of complaints that students are compelled to spend more time preparing for the tournaments rather than concentrating on their studies. He says this has resulted in poor performance at specific schools.
Bosco Atal, a pupil at Bar Primary School in Lira, admits that during the national tournament season he had little time for his studies. He says he and his teammates would spend hours on the track preparing for the meet while their classmates were busy in school.
Atal says he is optimistic that his grades will improve now that he has time for both activities.
Moses Olung, one of the games teachers at Bar Primary School, says the new sports calendar was long overdue. He is relieved that the tension between parents and teachers over the amount of time spent on sports activities will reduce.
Lucy Anoo, an Education Ministry Official, says the new schedule will provide much needed balance between regular classes and extra curricular activities.
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