Sean Oconnor

Important developments of a different kind are taking place outside the classroom, writes Sean O’Connor What games did you play as a child? My father describes a schoolboy game called bok-bok with misty eyes. Teams of players stood in line, leaping onto each other’s backs: cowardice was mocked and in-juries were common. The game was […]

Learners lose out as school sport gets caught up in politics, writes Sean O’Connor Sport presents a host of developmental, social and other opportunities, especially since the professional era. Whether playing beach soccer or moving chess pieces, the adrenalin surges, people communicate and communities are built. Sport makes us feel good. And at school, learners […]

Discipline and self-defence skills make martial arts appealing, writes Sean O’Connor As a five-year old, Hoosain Narker was always getting beaten up at school. Today, he teaches karate to schoolchildren, using lessons from a lifetime spent studying the sport. “Black belt” are two very effective words to say to bullies or belligerent strangers. “Self-defence is […]

Gone are the days when only nerds played chess. The game requires cunning and mastery and appeals to a wide range of players, writes Sean O’Connor Chess is a ruthless game, yet injuries are rare. “The worst thing that could happen is you fall off your chair,” says Kevin Horne, a veteran of the chess […]

Dance is providing a popular option for sport in schools with few or no facilities. Sean O’Connor tracks the beat According to a survey presented to Parliament last month, 37% of over 27 000 South African schools have no sports facilities. Funds are always scarce and sport is not high on the Department of Education’s […]

Tennis must rank as one of the greatest games ever invented, simply because it allows men and women to play together, writes Sean O’Connor ‘Love” is not a score in tennis by accident. Apart from the romatic possibilities of mixed doubles, those who play tennis often play it for life. Tennis is an intensely social […]

Sean O’Connor finds that sport is virtually dead in many schools yet it teaches vital skills Ganief Millward is a primary school teacher in Manenberg, Cape Town. He recites a familiar list of his community’s problems with heartfelt sadness in his eyes. Then the sadness disappears and a smile almost happens. There is a simple […]

April is the time to look at all the different facets of the written word: from the creative process of writing to the job of publishing. And in Cape Town a lot more has been planned, with youngsters due to listen as authors read, share their own stories, take part in exhibitions and performances. Meanwhile, […]