SHOULD SPORTS BE BANNED IN SCHOOLS?

The war between schools’ academic performance and sports is getting nasty by the day in some local schools. Recently, there was havoc in one local school after the administration banned all sporting activities, attributing the school’s poor academic performance to the sporting activities.
Do best (academically) performing schools engage in sporting activities?

Are all the worst (academically) performing schools spending a lot of time in sports? Do the schools concentrate only on the sports and forget about teaching? What is the relationship between sports and academic performance? Should sports be banned in schools?

FACTORS INFLUENCING
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Research findings identify pupils’ effort and previous schooling (Siegfried & Fels, 1979, Anderson & Benjamin, 1994); parents’ education and family income (Devados & Folts, 1996); self-motivation, age of pupil and learning preferences (Aripin, Mahmood, Rohaizad, Yeop, & Anuar, 2008); and class attendance (Romer, 1993) as factors that have significant effect on the pupils’ academic performance in various settings.

Socioeconomic status of pupils and their families show moderate to strong relationship with academic performance (Sirin, 2005).
A good match between pupils’ learning preferences and instructor’s teaching style has been demonstrated to have positive effect on pupils’ performances (Harb & El-Shaarawi, 2006).

According to Mugisha (1991), pupils’ attitudes and their home background have a positive correlation with their academic performance. The learning environment (Skinner, 1945), class attendance and time management (Romer, 1993) are also linked with pupils performance. The administration (leadership) and teachers also play a huge role in the pupil’s academic performance.  

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Physical activity is defined as all forms of movement associated with an increase of energy expenditure. It includes spontaneous physical activity and organised non-competitive forms of physical activity including exercise, physical education classes, and sport, (Trudeau & Shephard). Experimental studies undertaken in both animals and humans provide additional evidence of positive influence of physical activity on cognitive development.
The simplest way to understanding the benefits of physical activity and academic performance is by focusing on the health aspect. If physical fitness makes you healthy, then we can argue that if you are healthy you are more likely to learn at school.
The most unfortunate thing about most studies relating to physical fitness and academic performance is that they are done in First World countries. Even though the few studies done in Third World countries also indicate a positive relationship between physical activity and academic performance.  In almost all studies, one of the most important covariate is the pupil’s socioeconomic status; this is a strong predictor of both academic achievement and participation in various forms of physical activity (Trudeau & Shephard). 

ARE SWAZI PUPILS
PHYSICALLY FIT
 The thought that some pupils travel more than 10km (return trip) on foot to school, on a daily basis, provokes numerous questions. What type of physical activity should we expose a pupil who travels 10km per day, sometimes on an empty stomach?

DOES SPORTS PAY
IN SWAZILAND?
On another note, one cannot frown upon schools that tend to discourage pupils from participating in sports. Being an athlete in Swaziland is exactly like driving to Mozambique at night. The national budget towards sports speaks volumes. I live to see the day when athletes will be fully supported and well remunerated in our country. Most pupils participate in sports with the intention of being recruited by the forces, as part of job security.
That on its own destroys our sports.
Though that is a benefit, but it shouldn’t be the ultimate target. No wonder our athletes don’t shine in international events. I am not sure whether the country’s First World vision covers sports. But by the look of things, sports are not accommodated in the First World vision. Unfortunately if that is true, that would be disaster because there is no First World without a well supported sporting fraternity.

CONCLUSION
The issue of academic performance and sports should not be taken lightly in Swaziland. Issues of time management; effective teaching; pupil’s socioeconomic status; pupils grade/ form (whether in completing class or not); school budgets; types of sports or physical activities for pupils; school feeding schemes; pupils’ transports or walking distances; and the actual benefits for athletes, at all levels, must be highly considered. Finally, research provides a positive correlation between physical activity and academic performance.
Fair Play! It’s A Game After All.

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