Abuja school urges inclusion of chess game into curriculum

The Director of Operations at Christabel Schools in Abuja, Mrs. Adedoyin Olumi, has called on the Federal Government to include the game of chess in school curricula with a view to addressing societal problems.

Olumi was speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the second edition of the school's chess competition, where pupils from eight schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) jostled for prizes.

She said the game of chess would build the consciousness of a child towards understanding the needs of the environment, saying that growing up with such mindsets could help build the nation.

According to her, the game is important to overcome distractions, and children have to be groomed in a manner that helps them focus.

"We cannot overcome our challenges as a country without first of all knowing our individual position, the strengths that we have, and the weaknesses that we have to play into our strengths to be able to overcome them as a country."

"So using chess now on a macro level, the player is supposed to be able to win the game, to be able to understand how to overcome the opponent, so the opponents will be looked at as our societal problems."

"Chess is a part of our curriculum, so we take it very seriously and teach critical thinking which helps with Mathematics

"So, if chess is infused in the curriculum, students can learn and be able to solve problems confronting the country in time to come," she said.

The director also wants private schools to partner with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide chess materials in schools for the creative needs of the students.

She said that medals would be presented to the best-performing students as well as schools to encourage them to do better in subsequent competitions.

Meanwhile, Mr Augustine Akhigbe, the competition's organizer, stated that the game should be taught to children aged four and up.

He said their age bracket was critical for them to make quality decisions that would lead to their benefits.

Akhigbe said the game should be encouraged at all levels of education because of its capacity to influence the role of the learner in any environment and to make proper decisions.

"Chess helps the children to make decisions in their academics; it is the ability to make decisions at a point in time, and a child as early as four or five years old should be exposed to chess as it makes them adapt to situations early in life."

"It is a way of promoting the psychological skills of a child and building their capacity to become global leaders."

"Schools should also start teaching the chess game in nursery school, as this will help the mental capacity of such a child," he said.

He added that the competition was organized to provide an avenue for students in the FCT to gain knowledge of the chess game.

He also urged parents to introduce their children to the game and encourage them to participate actively in the competition.

Speaking with the participating students, Ronald Ojo, a JSS 2 student of Christabel Schools, said that chess allows one to make informed decisions in every field of endeavor.

Ojo called on the government to invest in education so that children would be able to make the right decisions when they get to the position of authority.

"Chess is basically just a game about your brain power; in chess, you're able to make good decisions."

"The government can also help in the area of providing adequate finance to procure chess for schools across the country and also make a law for the compulsory teaching of chess education in schools," he said.

Also, Damilola Ayodeji, a JSS 3 student of Degracia Model School, Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, said that the study of chess would help the political class navigate towards making good policies that would lead to the growth of the country.

The schools that participated in the second edition of the game were: Care and Cuddles School, First Choice Model Academy, Vinecare Nursery and Primary School, Little Gems Montessori Model School, Degracia Model School, the Ambassadors Academy, Christabel Schools, and Glory International School.

However, for the secondary category, Christabel Schools clinched the first position, while Glory International and the Ambassador Academy came in second and third place, respectively.

Also in the primary category, Christabel Schools came out on top, while Glory International and Care and Curdles Academy came in second and third place, respectively.