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By Hauwa Mohammed
Students’ lives are shaped by sports, which provide them with opportunities to develop leadership skills, teamwork, and physical fitness.
In an interview with Daily Sun, some students shared their views on how their school’s sports programmes have affected their academic and personal development.
Many of them acknowledged the value of sports in promoting discipline, friendships, and a sense of school pride, as well as the importance of striking a balance between academics and athletics and the role that sports play in teaching time management and resilience.
Overall, their experiences painted a picture of sports as not just extracurricular activities but vital components of holistic education.
Speaking with Kosemani Praise Omololo, a student of Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, who is currently in SS3, shared her views on the sports activities of her school.
In her words, she revealed that her school conducts sports every Tuesday but the sports facilities aren’t used even though the school owns them. It is only used during inter house sports programmes.
In addition, she confirmed that the school has a physical education teacher, who is good at his job in terms of impacting knowledge. Also their physical education does not reside at the four wall of the classroom rather it entails practical teaching and theory, which includes; indoor activities like board games, card games and outdoor activities like football competitions between the senior and junior and Alumni.
A JSS3 student of Jade College, Bariga, Lagos, Daniel Makanjuola, revealed that his school has a sports instructor, adding, “in my school sports activities are not just theory” he said.
He said the physical education teacher teaches the theory aspects, adding, “in adherence to the school rules, we put on our sports wear every Wednesday and mufti during elaborate sports events.
Pharez Obeahon, a Basic six pupil of Christ’s Redeemer School, Bariga, Lagos, gave an insight of the role of sports in his school, ” We do not own sports facilities but we engage in sports activities,” he said.
According to him, the school has a physical and health education teacher, who trains students to maintain good health alongside the theory aspect.
He said inter house sports are organised every second term, which allows students to wear sports Jersey that represents the various houses.
Students’ voices from various schools acknowledged the importance of sports in shaping their overall development. Regardless of the availability and utilisation of sports facilities, it is clear that physical education promotes discipline, teamwork, and physical fitness among students.
From weekly sports events to inter-house competitions, these programmes build a feeling of pride and togetherness while also teaching life skills such as time management and resilience.
While some schools thrive in integrating the practical and theoretical parts of athletics, others have obstacles that necessitate increased budget allocation.
Nonetheless, these students’ shared experiences demonstrate the importance of sports as an integral part of a well-rounded education.
