NGO partners Taraba Govt, trains 34 women coaches to promote netball in Taraba
By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
A Non Governmental Organisation, Community Sport and Educational Development Initiative, in partnership with the Taraba State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and Ministry of Education have trained 34 women coaches to promote netball in Taraba State.
Dr Grace Ataha and Edema Fuludu who are certified netball instructors, explained during the exercise on Wednesday in Jalingo that the initiative tagged, ‘project 2027,’ was a grassroots netball development programme aimed at promoting the right of Nigerian girls to play the game of netball in the country, targeting one million Nigerian school girls by end of 2027.
They also explained that the programme which also targeted at training 1,200 primary education teachers in schools across Nigeria is expected to impart the knowledge of netball into the school girls as part of catching them young initiative.
They called on the teachers to ensure they promote the safety and welfare of their students by ensuring that they implement the safeguarding advice they have received during the netball training.
“The teachers will be provided with access to develop themselves by doing online safeguarding training and other online sports for change training that would be made available to them in the future.
“As part of the netball training curriculum, the new coaches were trained in the theory and practical aspects of netball, which is the only sport in the world that is specifically designed for girls and women,” Fuludu explained.
In his speech, Director of Sports Taraba State, Mr George Shitta, urged the participants to carefully listen to the teachings of the instructors who have held similar basic netball training events in five other states of Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Bayelsa.
He thanked CSED for coming to Taraba State and urged private organizations and individuals to complement government efforts by investing more in grassroots sports development with a view of engaging the youths in pro-social activities that would be beneficial to them and the society in future.
