Zuma urges school children to play chess
Monday, October 25, 2010 - 09:32
Pretoria - Jacob Zuma, South Africa's president has urged school children to play chess, "We want to convince parents and teachers that chess is one of the most powerful educational tools available to strengthen and enhance a child's mind," Zuma said at the Moves for LIfe Chess Programme on Sunday.
Shockingly, one thing very few people know about Jacob Zuma is that he himself is also a chess player and believes that chess is a "serious sport". "It is an important game in many respects, the main benefit being that it contributes to the development of strategic thinking as well as concentration, analytical skills and problem solving. These are traits that are important for school going children," said Zuma.
One thing he is right about is that the game of chess stood the test of time and still does, remaining one of the best mind building games there is even with today's technology. "No amount of video games can teach a child the same level of patience, strategic thinking, concentration, analytical skills and the attention to detail that they would gain from this timeless intellectual game."
The good news is that the government said they will do everything they can to promote the playing of chess and to create a culture where people play chess "We will play our part as government. Both the Departments of Basic Education as well as Sports and Recreation are involved and already working to promote the game," said the President.
Source: http://fromtheold.com
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