USSSA Capacity Building Training Climaxes, Over 500 Receive Certificates
The Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association capacity building training for December intake climaxed on Friday at different learning centres and over 500 participants received certificates.
The main closing ceremony held on Friday morning at Kibuli SS and the guest of honor was Commissioner Physical Education and Sports, Rev. Canon Duncans Mugumya who revealed the purpose of the training especially in students.
“The purpose of this training is that; we may be able to give skills to the teachers and to the learners, we want learners in schools to learn skills when they are still younger.” Commissioner revealed.
“Uganda has been facing a challenge, that’s why we don’t have international referees by the time they start learning after their universities then the age cuts them off and can’t go far but now we will have young ones from senior one, this means when these students reach A level, they will be at another level when they are still younger.” Says Commissioner physical education and sports, Rev. Canon Duncans Mugumya.
The association’s president, Justus Mugisha asserted to this website that their target before the end of 2024 is to have 15000 participants in all the areas of coaching, refereeing and media.
“This training is a continuation of the training that we have been having, we have so far since last year, trained 6500, in this training alone, we have also have a total of over 500 and that makes up about 7000.
Our target this year is 15000 teachers and students in all the different areas of refereeing, coaching, administration, younger reporters and we hope we shall hit the target.” Says USSSA president.
In this December training, there were three training centres, that is; Kibuli SS (main centre), Ntale School in Mbarara and Lira Town College in Lira.
Some of the participants revealed what they have learnt and how they are going to implement the skills gained.
“I came here to learn more about football refereeing, I am a girl but I love football, there are ladies I saw officiating and admired them, like Shamirah [Nabadda], I saw her officiating Masaza Cup games, I loved her way of doing things and she is my role model, so I decided to come here to learn and copy what she is doing.” One of the referee trainees, Bukenya Nikitah from Entebbe Parents.
“At my school they are not more in football but I want to use my knowledge to encourage them to join football and if possible they give me a chance and I practice what I have learnt here.” She added.
“I have gained a lot of skills, the tactics, how we supposed to train children, the time they are supposed to be on the pitch for the purpose of preparing them for competitions and generally the best way of selecting players.
We have been conducting trainings anyhow without know how but currently the knowledge we have achieved truly we are going to help these children right away from all ages. We have been favoring only the Old boys of S4, and S6, leaving out the ones of senior ones. So this capacity building has helped us to change our way of understanding things.” Wabyona Cosima, teacher from Sir Tito Winyi SS Hoima.
The Kibuli SS centre had 347, Mbarara with 120 and Lira had 96.