Acer for Education and private education group Curro have teamed up, in an effort to advance their presence in eSports.
According to a statement, the partnership is aimed at promoting eSports in schools, while also taking the independent school group’s gaming to a new level of learning.
Furthermore, it is expected to be the “most comprehensive eSports in education programme in Africa”, notes the statement.
“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 our coaches are developed to support our learners in acquiring the skills and attributes they need to play eSports,” says Bertus Liebenberg, Curro eSports coordinator.
“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.”
eSports is the fastest growing sport globally, with a current valuation of $1 billion and projections showing this number will almost double by the end of 2022.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, eSports has become popular at Curro, with the independent school group building a name for itself in the eSports community.
In 2020, Curro announced it is using Minecraft: Education Edition as an e-sports arena, which resulted in establishing the Curro Clash Minecraft eSport League. In June 2021, Curro claimed victory in an International Minecraft friendly with a Californian school.
Magdaleen de Kock, eSports coordinator at Curro, notes the Acer for Education partnership will expose the group’s players to the broader eSports community in South Africa.
“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.”
“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,” comments Glenn du Toit, country manager for Acer South Africa.
“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.”
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