MOD Programme Modified to Benefit More Young People

Media Statement by Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Minister of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport 

Yesterday, the Minister of Social Development, Albert Fritz and I conducted an oversight visit to the Cornflower Primary School MOD (Mass participation; Opportunity and access; Development and growth Programme) centre in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain.

Our visit is part of a process to ensure that the 181 MOD centres which have been established across the Western Cape are indeed providing a safe place where learners can play sport, participate in cultural activities and study after school hours.

The Cornflower MOD centre was established in 2010 as a modified sports centre and has now become a place of excellence specialising in hockey. In the 2010/11 the school provided this service to 44 learners. This has grown to over 130 learners this year. The centre is doing incredible work.

It is clear that the Western Cape Government’s modified MOD Programme is doing a lot to keep learners engaged in constructive activity on sport fields all over the province. In the process, they are honing their skills in different sport codes and keeping active and healthy.

Because we ensure that coaches in our MOD centres are accredited and well-skilled, participants get professional training. With the funding that we receive from the national Department of Sport and Recreation, we have managed to stretch our budget to its limit. We have extended the reach of the MOD centres to 181 schools in all nine education districts of the province.

The MOD centres are a unique way of providing access to sport for learners who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to play certain sport codes. Importantly, this programme acts as a feeder to local sports clubs and regional sport federations. This serves to widen the pool of talent on which clubs and federations are able to draw and creates opportunities for every school-going person across the province.

In addition to their sports activities, MOD centres are places where young people can participate in dance and drama, among other cultural enrichment activities. This creates potential opportunities for them to link up with bigger organisations that could open doors for them in the different cultural industries.

The Department of Social Development introduced an R18-million feeding component to the MOD centres. The budget for this vital nutritional component has increased to R32 million in 2014/15. The meals have improved and access to the service has been expanded to 140 schools across the province.