BY DAYO ADESULU
The Principal of Corona Secondary School, Agbara, Ogun State, Mrs Chinedum Oluwadamilola, has said that sports are an integral part of education in the lives of students.
According to her, sports is an integral part of education which cannot stand alone without academics.
She said: ”Thinking that sports can be developed at the expense of academics is a wrong notion. You can participate in sports and in academics, it’s not mutually exclusive.”
Mrs Oluwadamilola made this assertion during Corona Secondary School, Agbara annual inter-house sports competition held at the school’s Green-Belt.
The Principal who believes that sports should not be done in isolation said that it should be done simultaneously with academics workload.
She said: ”That’s why some people have a sports scholarship for students going to the university who are good at sports and academics.
”For any student who aspires for such university scholarship, he or she is expected to maintain some certain academic grade in order to get and continue with that scholarship.
”In Corona Secondary School, we are doing both sports and academic together. The issue of sports and academics is a matter of discipline and allocation of time. We allocate adequate time for sports and academic studies.”
”As a school, we believe there is a talent in every child, and unless you make the opportunity and enabling environment available, you are not going to be able to realize that.
”As a rule in the school, students are to register for two-sport and that is the minimum they can do every term.
Speaking in the same vein, the chairman of Corona Secondary School Board, Mr Niyi Yusuf said each child has a specific talent.
He urged parents and school authorities to understand that each child is a unique person with a peculiar challenge and talent.
Yusuf said: ”While some students will be gifted in academics, others might be in sports and drama.
”So what Corona school does is to provide a variety of opportunity to the children to demonstrate what they can do and hopefully achieve their potential in different areas.
For us, every child is good, is just to find where lies that particular child’s talent.”
Speaking on the importance of sports, Yusuf said as we think sports provide the opportunity to bring the best for our kids, it’s also good for health.
”Sports is also a form of business whether we are talking of football, boxing, long tennis, gulf etc.
”Sport is a very lucrative business. If someone is good at sports whether, in Nigeria, international, such person will achieve success.
”While today is just a public occasion and a ground finale, weeks before now they’ve been competing among themselves.
”Parents should understand that each child is unique and can contribute positively to humanity either in sports or academics.
”What we’ve seen demonstrate today by the parents during the match pass revealed their level of investment and commitment of love towards their children and the school.
We are grateful to our parents for their Love, investment of time and resources.”
