Stuff reports on a worthy change to the school curriculum - check this out:
The Rugby World Cup is set to become part of the school curriculum, and teachers are being urged to fork out for rugby-themed merchandise.
Primary school teachers will be encouraged to bedeck classrooms with strings of flags – available at $1.20 a metre – arrange school rugby tournaments and learn about international teams.
The initiative, by government body Rugby New Zealand 2011, stems from a plan to include pupils in its "stadium of four million" theme as the World Cup moves into classrooms from July.
About 480,000 activity books will be distributed to primary and intermediate schools nationwide, for inclusion in the social studies curriculum.
Rugby NZ 2011 director Leon Grice said the programme, developed with the Education Ministry and New Zealand Rugby Union, was a way for children to feel connected to and excited about the event.
"Given the Rugby World Cup ... is going to be the largest event New Zealand has ever staged, and it's going to be so dominant on the televisions and in households around New Zealand, we wanted to make sure that every school-aged child had access to information about it.
"We are going to have something that is relevant to learning, and totally connected to the Rugby World Cup when the tournament comes along."
The Rugby World Cup is indeed an event of some considerable significance. Without doubt, it is the last time for many years that New Zealand will be able to host RWC, if not the last time ever.
So we reckon that it's great that school children are going to have the opportunity to support the tournament as part of their curriculum learning. Rugby may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is an event that will impact on New Zealand in a much broader sense than just sport.
RWC 2011 is getting closer, and as it does we get a little bit more excited and a little bit more nervous.
6 comments:
this is a sick joke surely?
RWC is a nothing event world wide - no mass appeal, and just goes to key rugby countries - where in many it's a minor sport anyway...
this over-hype is getting embarassing - it's the old NZ question to someone 20min off teh plane "do you liek us" - truly cringe making...
Of course anonymouse # 1784 would regard the beautiful game with its administration awash with graft and backhanders, appalling referees and linesmen, absolute refusal to adopt technology to improve on field decision making by officials, "holywood dives that go unpunished (something that Rugby must jump on) and a qualifying system for world cups that excludes nations with better credentials using an unequal system of qualifying, is just so global albiet corrupt and therefore a good role model for NZ students, not!
Yes rugby is not as big but just knowing where our national team plays and where the competing teams come from will probably enlighten many students to basic geography as it did for me over 60 years ago. The total ignorance of many in the world as to where other countries are and what they do as part of the global village is a major limitation to international understanding and this initiative is priceless.
This is child-abuse at it's worst.
The IRB looters and their disgusting World Cup offshoots should be locked up for life - made shorter by a long drop and a short rope.
Meantime I hope the WWE trophy event crashes and burns!
Do the kids still study /'Tom Browns Schooldays' or are such classics replaced by more indigenous material.
There was a lot of chatter about a book called The Colour Purple a few years ago Bater, which certainly wasn't on the curriculum in my schooldays back in the 1960's and 70's. It may not even have been published then!
But surely, studying rugby marks a big step up from Peace Studies or Trade Union Studes, whatever that is!
I'm glad you're having a good day Julie ... all those ad-hominems. Might be a good idea to keep your hands to yourself though ...but thanks for the offer!
Post a Comment