Franca Egwu, Secretary of the Ebonyi Secondary Education Board (SEB), says the board has set modalities to revive schools sports in the state in order to tap and develop raw talents.
SEE ALSO: World Aids Day: KADSACA begins HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign for Secondary
Egwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abakaliki that students would be made to effectively combine academics with sports.
She said the board had issued a schedule to secondary schools in the state to organise inter-house sports competitions and other sports activities.
“This will be carried out in the three senatorial zones of the state and the schools must inform the SEB headquarters of such activities.
“We will send representatives to monitor such sports activities to ensure that they are equitably organised.
“We have also invited the schools’ Games Masters for necessary briefings on ways of achieving these goals, to effectively tap and harness budding talents in schools,” Egwu said.
The SEB secretary said the board considered the importance of funds in actualising the set goals and has gotten the state government’s support in this regard.
“We have got approval from the government to effect a N200 levy on students in public secondary schools to enable such schools organise sports activities.
“They will also be required to invite other schools to witness their sports activities to enhance effective collaboration among schools,” she said.
Egwu said the board would also carry out intensive enlightenment programmes for members of the public to be involved in revitalising sports in schools and actively engage in sports activities.
Bethard Okulegu, a member of the board, said the board seeks to produce from schools the talents who would represent the state and country in various sports activities.
“The likes of late Stephen Keshi, Austin Okocha, among others were products of schools sports and they succeeded because they were given opportunities to excel in sports while in school.
“Active engagement of students in sports will reduce crime to the barest minimum in the society and check unemployment because they will be self-reliant,” he said.
Dickson Uwadiegwu, the board’s Director of Sports, said he was a product of the school sports system and consequently took sports as a career.
“The sports revival project in schools will receive a boost with the revamping of the sports sector by the state government, especially the construction of an Olympic-sized stadium.’’