Blantyre schools embrace taekwondo

Namame Primary and Community Day Secondary schools in the area of Traditional Authority Kapeni, Blantyre have welcomed the setting up of a taekwondo centre in their premises.

One of the teachers at the school, Lines Banda, said in the absence of physical education subject, the Med Taekwondo Centre, which was launched last Wednesday, will help the pupils improve their physical health.

So far, 35 pupils, including six girls, have joined the martial arts sport at the centre. The Namame centre brings to four the number of taekwondo hubs in Blantyre, the others being Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC), Mpapa Primary School and Loma Feli Taekwondo Centre in Bangwe area.

Public schools stopped offering physical education as a subject over a decade ago despite being in the local education syllabus after the government stopped providing funds and equipment for the subject.

“Physical exercises are essential for our mental and physical growth. Those that take part in sporting activities do well in class because they have a relaxed mind. This is why we welcome this taekwondo centre at our schools,” said Grace Phiri, one of the pupils at Namame.

The new centre’s coach Medson Ntila won gold as an athlete during the Kwanjangnim Taekwondo Championships in South Africa two years ago.