In an effort to advance their presence in eSports – professional competitions that are held using video games - Acer for Education has teamed up with Curro to take the independent school group’s gaming to a new level of learning. The new partnership will help Curro to realise its vision to grow eSports within its communities and promises to be the most comprehensive eSports in Education programme in Africa.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, eSports became very popular at Curro as it kept learners connected during the lockdown when all traditional sports were prohibited. In fact, Curro has built up a name for itself in the eSports community having claimed victory in June 2021 in an International Minecraft friendly with a Californian school.

“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 that our coaches are developed to support our learners in acquiring the skills and attributes they need to play eSports,” comments Bertus Liebenberg, Curro’s 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,” he adds.

For years Acer has led the way in helping schools and higher learning institutions adopt various elements of technology in the everyday teaching environment. “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,” says 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,” he concludes.

Magdaleen de Kock, eSports Coordinator at Curro says that 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.”