Bayelsa Moves to Introduce Scrabble, Chess in Secondary Schools

The Bayelsa State Government has commenced plans to introduce scrabble and chess into secondary schools across the state, with the Commissioner for Sports Development, Daniel Igali, leading a delegation from the Ministry of Sports Development to the Ministry of Education to begin preparations for the state’s first Secondary Schools Scrabble Championship.

The initiative follows a directive by Governor Douye Diri, who announced the programme during the sixth edition of the Governor Diri National Scrabble Classics.

During a meeting with the Commissioner for Education, Emelah Gentle, both ministries discussed a roadmap for implementing scrabble in secondary schools and expanding the initiative to include chess as part of efforts to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and intellectual development among students.

Igali reaffirmed the Ministry of Sports Development’s commitment to working with the Ministry of Education to discover and develop young talents through intellectual sports.

He explained that the programme would adopt a train-the-trainer model, where coaches from the Bayelsa State Sports Council will train selected teachers, who will then mentor students ahead of the championship.

“Today’s meeting is about developing a clear blueprint for the seamless implementation of His Excellency’s directive. The collaboration establishes a comprehensive roadmap that guarantees the smooth execution of that mandate,” Igali said.

“We believe that introducing scrabble in our schools will produce more national and international champions.”

Commissioner for Education, Emelah Gentle, praised the Ministry of Sports Development for its prompt response to the governor’s directive, noting that Bayelsa has earned national recognition for its achievements in school sports, particularly in the Secondary School Basketball Championship.

“I commend the Ministry of Sports Development under the leadership of Honourable Igali for its swift response to the Governor’s mandate.

Bayelsa has become a household name in Nigerian school sports, and this initiative will further strengthen our reputation for producing outstanding young talents,” Gentle said.

The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Simon-Peter Okene; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Development, Pereyi Efeke; the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategic Communications, High Chief Abednego Don Evarada; the Director of Sports at the Bayelsa State Sports Council, Bibowei Lambert; the Head of Sports Department, George Mark; and the Assistant Director of Human Resources Management at the Ministry of Sports Development, Michael Alakere.