Mr Yaya Ademola Adekunle is a senior official in Development of Social and Grass-roots Mobilisation and Guidance Unit, Office of the Governor of Osun State and also one of the team leaders of calisthenics in the state. In this interview with TUNDE OGUNESAN, Adekunle speaks on the introduction of calisthenics by the government.
IT has been in the news that there has been a new template for calisthenics in Osun, what is it about?
Yes. First, since the introduction of calisthenics in our public schools by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, performances at various anniversary celebrations has been restricted to about 15,000 pupils from schools in Osogbo and Olorunda Local Government Areas. With the new template as approved by the governor, selected public schools in all the nine federal constituencies as well as interested private schools can participate.
Secondly, participation is voluntary with the parents/guardians of the participating students responsible for their costumes. The government will only be responsible for the training and competitions which will hold in two stages – at the senatorial level between the teams representing federal constituencies and at the state level between the first placed teams at the senatorial level competition.
In addition to trophies, plaques, medals and certificates of participation for the participants, prize monies of N1 million; N750,000; and N500,000 will be won by the first, second and third placed teams respectively at the senatorial level competition next month.
By November 2017, the first teams in each of the senatorial districts will compete for N2 million; N1 million and N750,000 for first, second and third position respectively. The prize monies will be used by the authorities of the combined participating and the host schools for the development of their sporting facilities and activities.
How practical is this, especially at the state anniversary level in November?
It is very simple. Calisthenics is very flexible. It all depends on creativity. At our level, displays take two levels – field composition and background display. Activities at the federal constituencies to the senatorial competition are only based on the field compositions. At the state level on the anniversary day, a background display consisting of rows of pupils seated in a gallery at Osogbo Township Stadium will be forming captions of different words and patterns, speaking to the competing teams in the main bowl. The background will not be competing. It will only add flavour and glamour to complement the competing teams and entertain the audience.
At another level, the field composition could also play background role to form different words and captions. Display can involve from a few dozen up to thousands of persons exercising in unison. As stated already, it is a function of creativity.
What are the benefits to the pupils, aside prize money and trophy at the competition?
Calisthenics take away pupils from average and below families away from harmful and vile out-of-school engagement into joyful and health activities, especially in the absence of other healthy exercises in our schools today. It teaches discipline, cooperation and teamwork. It conditions the pupils to be physically and mentally sound. It brings participants from various backgrounds and orientations together in a happy atmosphere which is a fertile ground for developing pleasant, unforgettable experiences and perhaps, lifetime friendship.
In essence, the target of Governor Aregbesola is to institutionalise calisthenics in our schools curriculum as an integral part of processes of moulding a completely new person that is fortified with tools needed for daily application of life such that it will completely educate the soul, mind and vision. Group calisthenics endows its participants with acute sense of precision and organisational competence. Without unison and accuracy, the outcome of their efforts will not be plausible. Hence, the Osun state government, under the visionary leadership of Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, adopted the calisthenics sport as a co-curriculum activity for its students from inception. It is not perchance, but an integral part of the total transformation of education in the state, particularly targeted at the eventual production of future citizens who are completely new in social orientation, in addition to being sound in mind, physically healthy, educated and skillful.
This should not be taken in isolation. Just like the mega schools, school feeding, uniform, Opon Imo, training and re-training of teachers, incentives to teachers, etc.
