Parents should encourage their wards in extracurricular activities – Neander Schl, Principal

By Chris Onuoha

Principal Neander International Schools, Epe, Lagos, Mr. Idris Agbaje has urged parents to release their wards for competitve events outside school curriculum, saying that it is the only way children can adapt fast and express their hidden talents with other children in the society.
The head teacher said this during an Art and Sports competition organized by the school for primary school pupils within Lagos State. The event held at the School premises had about 9 primary schools participate in a still-life art drawing for arts and various field and track events in sports.
They comprise Corona Schools, KiddieQuest School, Smiley Kids International School, White Horse Montessori School, Loban Genius School, Standard Bearers Schools, Delphi International Schools, Bowine Schools and Maria Breed Schools. Mr. Agbaje said, “We organised this event for primary schools basically to help these young ones exhibit their talents. Schooling should not just be about academics alone. Children should not be hooked up in the four walls of the classroom all the time.
Speaking further, he said, ” Competition like this allow them to express their hidden talent and imbibe the spirit of competition and also the spirit of sportsmanship.” According to him, “It is not everyone of them won but they have learnt to take loses in good faith which society need most at this time of do or die affair in the polity.”
He also said that “Holding the competition at Neander school was to show good neighbourliness among schools within us and those we partner with. And also to take children out of their comfort zone to appreciate competition beyond the normal common entrance examination which is only what they know. Noticing the outcome of the competition, it shows that the country has a wealth of talent that requires tapping into,” Agbaje said. The pupils who exhibited high level of creativity both in the art and sports were a cynosure of a sort as parents, guardians, teachers and spectators admired, hail, and encouraged their enthusiasm. For those who participated in the drawing competition, a still-life composition was set at which few minutes were given to test this artistic acuemen while in the track and field event, 100m, 200m and relay race featured for both boys and girls. At the end of the competition, pupils from Corona school emerged first and second best in drawings while third position went to pupil from smiley Kids International School. In the sport segment, Corona School also won the 1st position followed by Kidddie Quest while the 3rd position went to White Horse Montessori School. Speaking to Aisha Idris and Bolaji Ogunwo, both artists and judges for the art competition, affirms that the children have bundle of talents lurking inside them that need expressing. “The pupils are between the age bracket of 6 to 11 year old and what I saw in them are willingness and ability to interpret art at young age.”
“Some of them may not be artists at the long run but I saw upcoming creative potentials that can be brewed to stardom,” says Bolaji. Mr. Charles Okafor, art teacher with one of the participating schools said, ” What the children displayed here today is good and will give room for more grooming. The spontaneity of the occasion gives the children some extra challenge from doing their normal best at school.”
While Ufoma Usivwe, art teacher with Neander International Schools simply sums up the competition as “fantastic.”