VC urges varsities, colleges to prioritise sports in education

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Education, Kontagora, Prof. Faruk Rashid-Haruna, has urged universities and colleges to treat sports as an integral part of their educational mission.

Rashid-Haruna made the call on Thursday in Kano while delivering a keynote address at the opening of the 54th National Conference and Workshop of the Nigeria Association for Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance (NAPHER-SD).

The conference has the theme, “Transparency, Integrity and Accountability in Sports, Health and Education.”

His paper was titled, “Legal, Ethical and Governance Considerations in Global and Collegiate Sports.”

He urged institutions of higher learning to assess their sports programmes based on participation, learning, health and integrity outcomes, rather than focusing solely on the number of medals won.

The vice-chancellor said universities, government agencies, sports associations and professional educators must collaborate to ensure that physical education, health education, recreation, sports and dance achieved their broader objectives.

According to him, the objectives include promoting healthy living, developing character, strengthening inclusion and preparing responsible citizens.

“Sport should reward excellence, but excellence must include honesty, safety, fairness and responsibility.

“A competition that produces medals while sacrificing integrity is not a successful educational or sporting system,” he said.

Rashid-Haruna also called on the government and public authorities to establish a coherent national framework for integrity in sports, linking anti-corruption measures with athlete welfare, safeguarding, health and education.

He advocated predictable funding for university sports, with transparent reporting made a condition for public support, as well as stronger capacity for regulatory, anti-corruption, medical and dispute-resolution institutions.

He further called for investment in safe, accessible and inclusive sporting facilities, rather than concentrating resources solely on elite competitions.

Earlier, the National President of NAPHER-SD, Prof. Florence Adeyanju, said the conference provided a platform for stakeholders to initiate reforms capable of moving the sports sector forward.

Adeyanju said transparency, integrity and accountability were critical to the development of sports, adding that stakeholders had a responsibility to properly prepare athletes for successful careers.

She said the conference also provided participants with an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, noting that “not everything is learnt in the classroom.”