New partnership aims to take esports in SA schools to new heights

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all of us, including school children, who couldn’t play their regular sports for quite some time. During this time, across South Africa, esports became very popular schools in the Curro independent school group. Now, a new partnership between Curro and Acer for Education has emerged, aiming to take esports in local schools to new heights.

Curro and Acer for Education partnership

In a press release we’ve received, as well as on the Curro website, the independent school group notes that Curro has built a name for itself in the esports community, and mentions winning an International Minecraft friendly against a Californian school back in June 2021.

With the Acer for Education and Curro partnership, the aim is to take esports in Curro schools to the next level. This means developing coaches to support learners in acquiring attributes and skills needed to compete in esports. The partnership will also help the group’s players get exposed to the broader esports community in South Africa.

Bertus Liebenberg, Curro’s eSports Coordinator, states:

“We are constantly exploring innovative approaches and new technologies to enhance the experience and opportunities for our teachers and learners. Acer’s support will help us to take eSports at Curro to the next level, ensuring that our coaches are developed to support our learners in acquiring the skills and attributes they need to play eSports.

Working with Acer makes it easier to get conversations started with parents and teachers, to explain that eSports is not just about playing games, but provides a whole world of opportunity for our learners. The industry may well offer our learners future employment and career opportunities such as game design, coding, data analytics, technical set up and management, streaming, event organisation, marketing, and more.”

Glenn du Toit, Country Manager for Acer South Africa, explains:

“For Acer, learning may take place on a computer, but true education can only take place if there is an extended understanding of how the various elements of technology plug into the learning experience. One such area is the adoption of eSports in education

It is refreshing to see that Curro doesn’t only see eSport as an extracurricular activity but rather as an integrated part of education and development of learners for a digital world. We were blown away by the vision that Curro has for eSports and are excited about what the partnership holds.”

Magdaleen de Kock, eSports Coordinator at Curro says:

“They will have the privilege of connecting with other people through something they care about. The future of gaming in our schools is bright and the opportunities it creates for our learners are clear. This partnership offers our learners something unique and inspiring that will equip them for the new world where virtual meets reality.”

At the time of writing, no additional information has been made available. Saying that, however, it is always great to see schools and groups take on an initiative to further increase the presence of esports in South Africa.

Header image via Curro.