BFK rolls out training for teachers as baseball is set to be introduced in schools

The Baseball Federation of Kenya (BFK) has rolled out training for teachers ahead of the sport’s introduction in schools.

The sport will be introduced in the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) calendar this year and is also in the Competence-Based Curriculum.

BFK president Titus Mutwiri says they have embarked on training physical education teachers across the country. Mutwiri spoke in Kisii during a technical training workshop for 50 teachers from the county on the skills and competencies required in baseball 5.

“The sport will be taught and examined in Grade 11 in senior schools under the competence-based curriculum. Physical education teachers must be ready for this. This was the first training for teachers in this part of the country, but we have baseball being played in other parts of the country,” noted Mutwiri.

Mutwiri conducted the workshop, assisted by baseball 5 national team coach Joel Wa-Ngichu and Kisii County BFK chairperson Kerubo Momanyi.

“We would like to see the sport spread in all parts of the country, and we are using Kisii as a hotspot. This is part of the pilot we are doing here and then spread to other parts of the country,” remarked Mutwiri.

He said the presence of the game in schools will diversify the sporting disciplines for the students. The Kenyan students, he added, will have an opportunity to try another sport.

“Considering that Kenya is doing well in continental and global levels, the kids will be very excited to embrace this sport,” said Mutwiri. He said a national selection of young players will be done in April as the country gears up to participate in the Dakar Youth Olympics.

“We hope that all the countries that have embraced the sport will bring teams for this selection. This will prepare us to build the team for the Dakar Youth Olympics later in the year. We hope to select a good team that will be the team to beat in Dakar,” he said.

Momanyi said, “I’m excited to be here for this training. This is the first training of this kind in the country. It’s the first training solely involving teachers of physical education in the whole country. As a county, we decided to focus on teachers, because we want this game introduced to children from a young age.”

She further noted that the county will have its own training programmes and tournaments.