This news was culled from The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper’s publication of 24 March 2022   

The Proprietor, Ferscoat International School, Felix Opata, has urged stakeholders in the education sector to support the development of sports in schools.

He also enjoined them to give more opportunities to learners, who are talented in sporting activities and not just those that excel academically.

He stated this at the school’s 11th Biennial inter-house sports competition, themed: ‘Nurturing future champions through grassroots sports,’ held at Alade Sports Complex, Ipaja, Lagos.

Opata, who is also the Director of Studies, said though the role of nurturing talents should have been the responsibility of government, local groups such as the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and several others can take it up.

He said opportunities like inter-house sports competitions should be created for young ones to move from the grassroots to state and national levels.

Noting that sports is not optional in an educational institution, Opata said parents should not see it as just an addition, but as a crucial part of every school programme.

The principal, Mr. Frederick Opata, said the event is necessary and important because it is a way of catching them young at the grassroots.

Speaking on the meeting point between academics and sporting activities, Opata, explained that there are three domains of education, adding that psychomotor is one of them.

In his remarks at the event, the sports icon and Olympic gold and bronze medalist, Enefiok-udo Obong, commended the school for the initiative; saying discovering talents is not the job of the government alone, because great talents were discovered in the past through such events.

He also advised parents to always look at the innate ability in every child and help develop it.