Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state on Thursday said his administration is investing in the development of sports industry, most especially the school games to keep the pupils and students physically and mentally fit for academic excellence.
He said while they are required to study hard to attain academic achievement, their involvement in extracurricular activities like sports will however strengthen their brains and help the assimilation process.
A statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by the Press Secretary, Kwara state Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) , Atere Ameenat Abiola, noted that the governor said this during the grand finale of the Basic Education School Sports (BESS) Competition in Ilorin, which was organized by the educational agency.
‘Education contains curriculum and extracurricular activities. This means that if you go to the classroom to learn, you must also go to the field to play, because sports are not only about physical fitness and leisure, but this also helps in making you mentally strong as a student.
The organizers and the participants should not see it as just a play; it is also a means of living and a means to unifying the nation’ he said.
Recall that sports kits were recently distributed to all public basic schools in the state in preparation for the sports competition, and in line with the rules laid down by the UBEC.
The event, which kicked off late October, had pupils at public primary and junior secondary schools across the sixteen local governments in the state participating in various sporting activities such as football, volleyball, scrabble, Javelin, shot put, handball, skipping rope, long jump and high jump, among others.
AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Education, Hon Muhammed Baba Boriya, described the programme as a step in the right direction, adding that it will also assist in discovering hidden talents .
He appreciated the UBEC for giving the state government necessary supports to reposition basic education, and the KWSUBEB for putting up the sporting programme, assuring that the current administration will continue to promote sport development in the state.
He advised all school administrators and sports officers to always encourage their students to also partake in physical exercise, one of such ,he noted, is the sports competition that just ended.
The grand finale was graced by some government officials including a member of the Kwara state House of Assembly Hon. Abdulganiyu Salaudeen; the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Religion (Islam) Alhaji Ibrahim Dan-meigoro; Executive Chairman, KWSUBEB, Prof Sheu Raheem Adaramaja, and other principal officers of the Board; representative of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Deacon D.K Olayemi; representative of Head of Service, Hajia Fatimah Abolore Jimoh; Education Secretaries from the sixteen local governments; and the school pupils; various stakeholders in the sport sector, among others.
Prof Adaramaja, in his remarks, said the sports competition was organized to enhance the physical and mental fitness of pupils, and to discover hidden talents from the grassroots especially at the primary and junior secondary school levels.
‘The essence of basic education school sports is to discover talents from the grassroots especially at the Primary and Junior Secondary School levels. In the last youth sports that was held in Asaba, Kwara State came 6th on the table. So, we want a situation where in the next Youth game, Kwara will be either first or second on the table’ he said.
He said about 11,000 pupils participated in the competition from across the 16 local governments in the state.
‘Close to 11, 000 students and pupils participated because we instructed every local government to send between 450 and 700 students and all of them complied. They arrived in Ilorin a day before yesterday. We accommodated them, we fed them and they enjoyed themselves. You can see that they are very happy and excited.
You will recall that some time ago, we distributed sporting equipment to schools. We distributed so much sporting equipment to schools and we instructed them to go and practice and bring up their best from each local government area. So, the best among them are those you are seeing here today’ he said.
At the end of the BESS 2023 competition, Ilorin West local government emerged as overall winner, while Isin and Offa local governments were the second runner-up and the third runner-up respectively- Team@orientactualmags.com
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