Director of Islamic Heritage Private School, Ibadan, Mr Aderemi Suara, says the importance of sport cannot be overemphasised in an ideal school setting, stating that besides the discipline and academic brilliance that sports promote, it has proven to be an avenue to make friendships with great minds.
He added that a balanced education should develop the mind, body and character, and sports play a major role in achieving this.
Mr Suara made the disclosure at the sixth edition of the biannual inter-house sports/athletics competition of the school, held at the Air Force School, Alakia International Airport Road, Ibadan.
While he described sports as an integral part of education, he said it is indeed one of the three domains on which learners’ assessment is based in the class, that is, the psychomotor domain, which is the learning that deals with physical skill, coordination and the use of motor skills.
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“Sports help learners to grow both mentally and physically,” he stated, adding that “education is not only about reading books and passing examinations; it is also about building a healthy body, good character and strong values.”
Suara noted that schools’ inter-house sports competitions, apart from being a major avenue where sporting skills and young talents are discovered, can open doors to scholarships, careers and national recognition.
Emphasising that through sports, valuable life skills are cultivated outside the four walls of the classroom, he stressed that “it teaches learners how to work with others, respect rules of the game and handle both victory and defeat with maturity.
“We have taught our students to bring forward their spirit of comradeship, with the expectation that, at the end of the game, whether winning or losing, they should not lose the bond of friendship, and rather it should remain strong,” he noted.
Declaring the ceremony open, he charged the competitors, who were also drawn from other schools in the state, to allow the experiences to foster unity, healthy rivalry, discipline, spirit of sportsmanship, leadership and perseverance, even beyond the competition day.
He thanked all the house mentors of the houses – Blue, Pink, Purple and Yellow- for their exemplary services and financial contributions towards the success of the event. “Your commitment to the children’s development, discipline and fair play greatly contributed to the success of the events and upheld the core values of our school,” he said.
He also appreciated the parents and staff of the school for the time and energy invested to ensure the success of the event.
One of the house mentors, Mr Srajudeen Ajao, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, applauded the school management for being deliberate about the total wellbeing of the pupils/students.
According to him, the biannual inter-house sports competition has grown to become a tradition in the school, which the learners now anticipate and look forward to, as it encourages and gives them the opportunity to showcase their best athletic talents.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Sports Committee, Mr Muyideen Afolabi, said that learning is not only a function of the classroom; it must go beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Afolabi noted that the inter-house sports competition had helped in discovering special skills in the learners, with some having represented the school outside in various sports competitions and they usually come home with trophies.
The event featured students from different levels of the school teaming up in houses to participate in a variety of sporting activities, including march pasts, track races, relay races, tug of war, filling the bottles, jumping the hurdle, cycling, among others.
At the end of the competition, the Yellow House took first position with 340 points; the Green House came second with 322 points; the Purple House took third position with 310 points; the Blue House took fourth position with 287 points and the Pink House took fifth position with 272 points, respectively.
