Fun school competition aims to get kids excited about conservation

MZINTI – The learners of Kobi Primary School proved that they are extremely knowledgeable about nature conservation by winning an annual quiz competition held by Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) at the school last Saturday morning.

The quiz was part of an environmental education programme for schoolchildren which the MTPA established in 2012. The aim was to ensure children were educated on conservation and that their knowledge was evaluated in a fun way.

Conservation education is done on a weekly basis in the classes at schools from Ntunda and Mzinti.

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Learners from the host school tested their knowledge against youngsters from Mzinti, Emagcekeni and Kwa-Lodakada primary schools.

Besides the quiz, there were also competitions for song, poetry and drama.

In drama, Mzinti obtained first place, Magcekeni Primary School came out on top in poetry, and in songs Kwalodakada Primary School scooped the trophy.

Learners received medals for their participation and excellence and Kobi won a floating trophy for their overall quiz victory.

Learners from Kobi explained that they won because they are taught in class and then taken outside to get a better understanding of what they learned.

“The message to the community is that we must conserve nature because if we don’t, we will continue to experience problems like global warming,” said teacher Themba Chibi.

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The MTPA’s control social ecologist, Mildred Mkhwanazi, encouraged the community to learn from the children. The MTPA believes that if they teach the learners, the message will be passed on to the family at home.

“We also want the parents to participate in the competition from next year so that more awareness can be created among children and parents,” she explained.