Gombe FA decries dearth of sporting facilities in schools
Mr Yakubu Sarma, Chairman of, the Gombe State Football Association (FA), has expressed concern over the dearth of functional sporting facilities in most private schools in the state.
Sarma said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday that sports were relevant to comprehensive and all-around learning in schools.
According to him, sports inculcate the culture of a healthy lifestyle among young people, ensure mental alertness and help to relax the mind.
“These are vital to human development,” he said and called for legislation to ensure that all schools in the state have functional sporting facilities.
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“I strongly believe it (sports) must not be pushed aside like we now see in most schools that don’t pay attention to sports in their curriculum.
“Why should a school be established without even a table tennis space not to talk of a football pitch; we have countries where space is an issue yet they play five-a-aside.
“In almost all the private schools, there are hardly functional sporting facilities because their interests are not in sports, but class education, which is not complete education.’’
Sarma also lamented that many spaces allocated for sporting activities in public schools had been encroached upon.
According to him, the association is collaborating with the state Ministry of Education to hold a football competition for secondary schools in the state.
The competition, he said, was to harness the potentials of students, unite them for peaceful co-existence and distract them from vices like drug abuse and crimes.
