By Joe-Chintha Garises
KEETMANSHOOP, July 27 — Wolfgang Cloete, a retired principal of St. Mathias primary school in Keetmanshoop says teaching pupils different sports activities can bring mental, emotional and physical stability to the children.
After retiring from teaching, Cloete became a sports entrepreneur who creates different sports equipment from recycled plastic.
Cloete retired from his teaching job in 2015 and started his sports business in 2018 because he says sports is close to his heart.
“During physical education pupils only play soccer or netball but with the equipment I provide, they can play board games indoors and outdoors. This equipment can be used for teaching and team-building games,” Cloete said.
“With my sports-orientated vision and approach, I strive to make a positive contribution and impact on the attitudes and lifestyles of children, youth and adults, especially those living in smaller towns and rural areas who are in most cases neglected,” Cloete added.
He said he had approached different schools in the //Kharas region and worked with them in team-building activities and also had workshops with the University of Namibia (UNAM) Southern Campus SRC as well as different school teachers.
He says lack of financial resources is one of the biggest challenges he faces on a daily basis but sometimes he offers workshops at schools for free because it’s a project close to his heart. He says this helps teachers and pupils to acquire life skills and self-discipline and mental stability.
“One teacher told me that one of her learners was not good in maths but after she started my equipment in class to teach, the child has become more focused in the subject and is doing better,” he explained.
Cloete said learners’ mental ability, special awareness and development of skills like balancing and coordination, social interaction and participation improve with sports.
“Ill-discipline, disrespect, GBV can be outrooted once different sports games are initiated in schools and that is what I’m currently working on,” Cloete said.
