MARNYS brings chess into the classroom to checkmate school failure
- The project "Play Thinking with MARNYS" is supported by the Regional Ministry of Education, and is promoted by the MARNYS - Martínez Nieto S.A. laboratory, together with the Lapuerta Chess Sports Club.
- More than 4,000 students from 23 schools have already joined this programme, which aims to be extended to the whole region next school year.
Bringing chess to the classroom to fight against school failure is the aim of 'Play Thinking with MARNYS', a project supported by the Regional Ministry of Education of the Region of Murcia, and which has been promoted by MARNYS - Martínez Nieto S.A., a food supplement and natural cosmetics laboratory, together with the Lapuerta Chess Sports Club.
More than 4,000 students from Pre-school to Sixth Grade of Primary School in 23 schools in Cartagena and the surrounding area have already joined this project. The project is intended to be extended to all classrooms in the Region of Murcia for the next school year 2022/2023.
This was explained during the presentation ceremony, held on Thursday 19 May at the CEIP Jose Maria de Lapuerta in Cartagena, which was attended by the Regional Minister of Education of the Region of Murcia, Ms. Maria Isabel Campuzano; the Director General of Vocational Training and Innovation, Mr. Juan Garcia Iborra; the Councillor for Education of the City of Cartagena, Ms. Maria Irene Ruiz; the president and founder of MARNYS - Martinez Nieto SA, Mr. José Martínez Nieto; the teacher of the Lapuerta Chess Sports Club, Mr. José Lara, and the director of the CEIP José María de Lapuerta, Mr. Juan López.
During the event, materials, in particular chess sets and books for learning chess, were also handed over to the representatives of the 23 member schools.
Checkmate school failure with MARNYS
Under the slogan 'Checkmate school failure', the aim is that schoolchildren play by thinking and that this playful side of education is encouraged, reducing levels of absenteeism, failure and school dropout, something that "we are sure that such initiatives will help to reduce", said the Regional Minister of Education, Ms. María Isabel Campuzano, who has given her support to the project so that it can be extended to more schools in the Region of Murcia.
"The aim of MARNYS is to reduce the rate of school dropouts and absenteeism in our region of Cartagena, in the Region of Murcia and throughout Spain thanks to the promotion of chess in schools", explained Mr. José Martínez Nieto, president and founder of MARNYS. The idea of "Play Thinking with MARNYS' comes from the importance of chess in the education and development of children, as "it promotes logical thinking, reasoning and decision making, and also helps them to develop social skills avoiding bad habits and the abusive use of technologies", he adds.
As well as the necessary materials, teachers and students will receive talks on chess provided by qualified professionals who will answer any doubts or queries they may have. The Lapuerta Chess Sports Club, co-promoter of the project, has a number of qualified chess teachers with experience in schools, such as Mr.José Lara, who said that "through the Ajedrízate chess school we teach chess to children in different educational centres". The CDA Lapuerta is one of the most nationally recognised clubs and has the largest and most successful school in the Region of Murcia.
MARNYS Talent', promoting talent from an early age
The promoter and sponsor of the project, MARNYS - Martínez Nieto S.A. is a food supplements and natural cosmetics laboratory located in Cartagena, with more than 54 years of experience and a presence in more than 66 countries.
Play Thinking with MARNYS' is part of the actions of its Social Responsibility Plan (CSR) which includes different programmes related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
One of them is the MARNYS TALENT programme with activities aimed at education, professional and personal development, as well as the creation of partnerships with entities and the promotion of female, male, junior and senior talent, giving priority to the local area.
