Sporting activities have been part of the culture, customs and natural living of man; they have direct relationship with plans, purposes and goals of human beings. Sports have existed with education since primitive ti...Sporting activities have been part of the culture, customs and natural living of man; they have direct relationship with plans, purposes and goals of human beings. Sports have existed with education since primitive times, when man developed skills like hunting, handling of weapons, tests of strength, endurance and courage. This paper examines the relevance of sporting activities to the development of education in Nigeria, since colonial era- 1904 till date. Sports like football, soccer, badminton, handball, volleyball, tennis, swimming and athletics have corroborated teaching and learning activities at all levels of education be it informal, formal and non formal education in Nigeria. Historical research methodology in education was used to carry out and analyze data for this paper using archival materials and oral interviews as primary sources while textbooks, journals and internet materials were used as secondary sources. The main focuses of the paper are＂ to examine the concepts of sports an6 education, the place of sports in the educational policy and curriculum in Nigeria, advantages of sports to education and nation building, challenges of sports in education and offer suggestions for the improvement of sports and education in Nigeria. The findings of the study revealed that; sports was formally introduced into educational curriculum in Nigeria as physical education in 1904 by the British administration, sports promotes physical health and fitness, recreational activities, relaxation prestige, economic status, identifies talents, abilities, impart skills, encourage socio-cultural relationship which enhances unity among the populace. The forum to benefit from sports usually come at grassroots, school inter-house sports, and inter-schools competitions and association forum. Challenges of sports include inadequate funding, mismanagement of funds, lack of integrity, inadequate personnel, dwindling infrastructural and sporting facilities, inadequate training and medical facilities. It is recommended that, if all the above challenges are properly addressed, sporting activities will project Nigerian education more for overall development both nationally and internationally.展开更多
文摘Sporting activities have been part of the culture, customs and natural living of man; they have direct relationship with plans, purposes and goals of human beings. Sports have existed with education since primitive times, when man developed skills like hunting, handling of weapons, tests of strength, endurance and courage. This paper examines the relevance of sporting activities to the development of education in Nigeria, since colonial era- 1904 till date. Sports like football, soccer, badminton, handball, volleyball, tennis, swimming and athletics have corroborated teaching and learning activities at all levels of education be it informal, formal and non formal education in Nigeria. Historical research methodology in education was used to carry out and analyze data for this paper using archival materials and oral interviews as primary sources while textbooks, journals and internet materials were used as secondary sources. The main focuses of the paper are＂ to examine the concepts of sports an6 education, the place of sports in the educational policy and curriculum in Nigeria, advantages of sports to education and nation building, challenges of sports in education and offer suggestions for the improvement of sports and education in Nigeria. The findings of the study revealed that; sports was formally introduced into educational curriculum in Nigeria as physical education in 1904 by the British administration, sports promotes physical health and fitness, recreational activities, relaxation prestige, economic status, identifies talents, abilities, impart skills, encourage socio-cultural relationship which enhances unity among the populace. The forum to benefit from sports usually come at grassroots, school inter-house sports, and inter-schools competitions and association forum. Challenges of sports include inadequate funding, mismanagement of funds, lack of integrity, inadequate personnel, dwindling infrastructural and sporting facilities, inadequate training and medical facilities. It is recommended that, if all the above challenges are properly addressed, sporting activities will project Nigerian education more for overall development both nationally and internationally.
