For students to develop resilience in life and build excellent team spirit, there is a need for schools to create effective sporting opportunities within their curriculum, Sara Oyinloye, principal of Starfield College, has said.
Speaking to journalists at the 11th Inter-House Sports competition of Starfield Primary and Secondary Schools, held at Agege Stadium in Lagos, Oyinloye said that sports help to instill a lot of life-important lessons such as the spirit of sportsmanship, resilience, teamwork and excellence.
According to her, sporting is an integral part of life, and it is good for the total well-being of a child, thus the need for schools to promote sporting.
She said that prioritising sports activities in schools would help students to improve their cognitive and memory functions and enable them to perform better in every aspect of life.
Juliana Eigbe, head of Starfield Schools, urged students to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship while participating in any sports activities.
“Let us respect for one another and uphold a sense of community that defines our schools. Let’s make the 11th inter-house sports event a reflection of our unity, our friendliness, and our shared love for sports,” she said.
Eigbe further called on the students to remember that the essence of sports lies not only in victory but also in the value of teamwork, dedication, and fair play.
She urged the participating students to put in their best, compete with integrity, and support fellow housemates.
On her part, Abosede Ogunsile, chairman of the event, said school inter-house sports would help to promote academic performance and sharpen the skills of the pupils.
Ogunsile, who was represented by Titi Apatira, advised schools to engage students in sporting activities and that through such exercise, new talents can be discovered.
Chris Eigbe, director of studies of the school, urged the students to exhibit the spirit of unity, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and fairness.
He said the event serves to remind students of the power of teamwork and the joy of friendly competition.
At the end of the sporting competition which witnessed spectacular displays of track and field, march past, relay races, and other events, Blue House emerged as the overall winner, Red House came second; Green House took third place and Yellow House took fourth place in the secondary school category.
In the primary school category, the White House emerged as the winner; the Green House took second, the Red House took the third position and Sky-Blue House took fourth place.
