Sports in the eyes of pupils

When you ask pupils how important sports is at school, majority say it’s their source of fun, good friendships, skills and one of the reasons why they go and enjoy school time. As experts put it, sports in general has far reaching benefits. For instance, it allows children to use their inventiveness while developing their imagination, handiness, reasoning, as well as physical and emotional strength. According to pupils doing sports enables them to acquire extra skills and a number of disciplines such as fair play and the value of sportsmanship. And also teachers believe it’s the discipline and passion exercised in sports that enable children to succeed in other school activities such as academics. Looking at the great skills and creativity that these young children possess, you can tell that their future is bright and promising. On the other hand, teachers use sports to teach pupils to respect each other, value the games, exercise open-minded attitudes towards each other and to embrace teamwork. Children Times’ DENNIS AGABA visited different schools and sports centres, and brings you some of the exciting moments of pupils engaging in different sports activities. Catch me if you can. A pupil of Kigali Parents School running with a ball as his friends chase him. Check out my juggling skills. School boy shows his expertise. Pupils showing off their talents at Centre De Jeune Gatenga. Children learn taekwondo skills. Discipline and passion are the key to success in sports. How Important is doing sports at school? From my point of view, school would be boring without sports. It is through sports that we learn essential life skills, such as teamwork, fair play and being hands-on. But most importantly, sports is the source of school friendship. Most of my friends are passionate about sports. Francis Gisubizo, 12 years old ***************** It’s my dream to become a professional soccer player in future, and I believe it’s through doing sports at school that will inspire me to reach my goal. As our teacher once told us, sports is the foundation to some of our future careers. I have seen that some people have discovered their talents through engaging in sports activities, and that’s why it is important to engage in sports. Janvier Mutijima, 14 years old ***************** Sports is all about passion and having fun. It is through sports that pupils learn how to stay focused, be zealous, and strive to succeed in different activities. It is this zeal to succeed that is channeled in academics in the end. Besides, it makes school time fun and more creative. Pacifique Nezeyimana, 14 years old ***************** As commonly said, a healthy body promotes a healthy mind, and that a playing child is a winning child. We play for fun, healthy bodies and relaxation. But another key point about sports is that it is also a part of our academics, and our engagement means extra grades. Ronance Neyigena, 12 years old