WorldStage— The Minister of Education, Dr. Rauf Tunji Alausa and Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu have met to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration between education and sports institutions.
At the meeting, Comrade Shaibu commended the Minister for the education reforms and renewed emphasis on technical and vocational skills development.
Drawing on his experience as Deputy Governor of Edo State, he stressed the importance of integrating sports into the school system and recalled the state’s initiative to allocate five per cent of the 30 per cent continuous assessment score in primary and secondary schools to sports.
He identified the shortage of qualified games masters and certified coaches as a major constraint to grassroots sports development.
The NIS Director-General also highlighted the Institute’s expansion across the six geopolitical zones, its graduation of more than 1,000 coaches within a year and its 2025–2035 strategic plan, which seeks to improve sustainability and reduce dependence on government funding.
He outlined efforts to revive coaching, fitness and executive certificate programmes, strengthen coach certification, train groundsmen and create career pathways for retiring athletes.
He appealed for the integration of the Institute’s basic training programme into the TVET framework, alongside stronger institutional support to expand its training capacity and financial sustainability.
Dr Alausa reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working with the NIS and the National Sports Commission to strengthen the connection between education, vocational training and sports development.
He emphasised that equipping young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant skills would expand employment opportunities, build local capacity and support a sustainable sports sector, in furtherance of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
