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Recruiting Secondary School Graduates: As Professional Non-Student Athletes in Collegiate Sports Competitions in Nigeria By Murtala Bala Habu Cleveland, Tennessee, United States
Snapshots West African Examination Council or General Certificate of Education and of currently, the National Examination Council is a final examinations secondary school student athletes and or regular students sit for before graduation. Future of graduating seniors (form 5 or 6) depends on the intense reading, writing, memorizations and luck. GCE, NEC or the ordinary level results are interpreted as follows: P= p7 and p8, meaning PASS; C= c1, c2, c3, c4, c5 and c6, which is CREDIT(S); Excellent=a1, a2 and a3, also called DISTINCTION(S) and F=f9, which represent FAILED grade. Students that earned two distinctions, two credits, two passes, or five credits and one pass have choices of schools. Or whoever scale through the intense examinations with good grades have high chances of being accepted into any university and for they rest who cannot, may end in colleges and for those that do not have passing grades may not or never have a chance of enrolling in either universities or colleges. And, this is where most secondary school athletes find themselves in, since most combine “infields-sports and inclassrooms-education.” 98 percent that dedicated time to infields and inclassrooms end out unsuccessful in obtaining distinctions, credits or passing grades, living many considered ‘not bright or intelligent.’ With no future to lean on apart from sports, which has also been receiving lesser attention in terms of its added values to human lives, e.g., education, health, economic and social benefits? For dedicated inclassrooms and few that combine infields with inclassrooms who scaled through are admitted into the universities and colleges still face complicated educational curriculums. Most don’t have the opportunities to combine sports as well as intensely write and read their books, as both have not influence better grades, living students vulnerable to explosions. In other words, educational curriculums are designed to discourage students from engaging in sports activities—in the opportunity cost scenario, choose either to pursuit athletics or be studious alone. Educational systems that Nigeria government has being implementing for generations without reforms is unbalance; it favors regular students, while discouraging student athletes in both secondary and higher institutions. In essence leading to multi-talented being exempted from among the best, these athletes are local, state, national and or international champions but Nigerian society rejects their contributions? What made a student bright or intelligent? Is it by students’ performance in the so-called GCE or NEC? If so, are students’ athleticisms not as brilliant or intelligential as their education? What’s education by the way, as most of us with depth psychology misinterpreting it definition only reflecting to class work? Be the ethicist, who’s the most intelligent and hardworking, is it those that combined infields with inclassrooms or only those that concentrate on inclassrooms? Are students by natural laws only allowed to have one option for the rest of their time on earth? Or are the education reformers continuing to dictate how students pursue their gifted-interests in the 21st century? And how long will Nigeria educational systems reformers continue to discourage student athletes from chosen both abilities, especially both have proven to provide quality and better lives? Desire for a Name Brand by Universities and Colleges Such complex educational programs create vacuums for the purposes sports must be aggressively encouraged amongst students as forms of recreation, competitions and at same period be inclassrooms as students don’t participate or represent their schools in the inter-collegiate games like the National University Games Association (NUGA). Extreme desire for name brands, ‘Athletic Directors or Heads, Physical Education Department’ in universities and colleges in Nigeria have always sought to acquire ‘secondary school graduates as professional non-student athletes through the backdoors.’ Motivation to such recruitments lies in the complicated educational programs Federal Ministry of Education has being implementing for decades in reference to transitioning from secondary to university and college levels. Cheating through such recruitments for gains must be regarded illegal by the five governing bodies: Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), National Inter-Polytechnic of Games Association (NIPOGA), National Advance College of Education Games Association (NACEGA), National College of Preliminary Studies Games Association (NCOPSGA) and, the National College of Agricultural Games Association (NCAGA). The act of using secondary school graduates as professional non-student athletes for institutional gains with no compensations or, ‘no rewards, must be regarded open slavery that has being looked upon as favor for athletes to gain valuable experience unacceptable practices.’ However, while one way to look at their contributions as an experience processes, it is rightly to further make their contributions ‘seasonal employment,’ because professional non-student athletes provide talents to; it is by their services that higher institutions exceed in the medals. Majority of athletes don’t have the requirements for admissions or, most have dedicated time to training after secondary school and others don’t have the zeal to be students, thus in the hope to make a living from the experticisms. If the author is absolute then, why are universities and colleges not compensating non-student athletes? Instead they are paid careless allowances and transportation to various destinations—from homes and after competitions? Athletic Directors don’t provide enough equipment; a recent analysis of NUGA games in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State (2004), is an example of why professional non-student athletes are still not been consider for compensations by the administrators. A singles silver medallist in tennis that represented Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State was not rewarded for the services rendered. This writer about eighteen years ago represented College of Preliminary Studies-Yola in the defunct Gongola State, (during COPS games, 1988,) won silver in singles and paired (late Samuel Mani, Plateau State), a student of the college won doubles gold medals with no compensations and without a doubt there are similar stories…? Of course, winning is good for the records, however ‘must win’ in every collegiate sport programs is defeated, as every program wants to be on top of the medals’ tables during competitions. Other than wining, Athletic Directors chose-to-forget-winning isn’t the best option to recruiting secondary school graduates as professional non-students as student athletes. Collegiate competitions in sports are designed for student athletes to play, represent and attend classes toward improving their wellbeing and to improve greater opportunities in sports, e.g., tennis, basketball, badminton, track and fields, handball, etc. Moreover, athletic events are designed for regular students to have the chance watch schoolmates in higher athletic performances toward refreshing their psychological minds before resuming for classes; especially they have paid game fees for the spectaculars. Collegiate coaches are not equipping enough to train and produce their own student athletes, thus, they have found temporary relief by recruiting secondary school athletes as professional non-student athletes into their programs illegally. To be equilibrium, it must be ethically for coaches and school authorities have good moral principals of encouraging athletes enroll in their schools regardless of who and who don’t have the minimum credentials for admissions with reference to universities. For most that don’t have the requirements or have required credentials but elected not to accept admissions are used and dump, what I am so concern, is Nigerian Collegiate Administrators and Coaches aware sports of our time has changed so must athletes be compensated or rewarded for their productivities and talents? Should athletic directors continue to recruit, they must in conjunctions with Federal Ministry of Education and the Athletic Associations on consensus develop educational programs so that, for whoever has the desires must have the opportunity to begin process of obtaining degrees, even if such programs are going to take 7 years and scholarships must be provided to (non and students athletes). Or since these bodies organize contemporary higher institutions to compete for the purposes of fudging strong relationships among students, the governing bodies as matter of urgency must further implement rigid policies governing the competitions. That’s, mandate, create and enforce laws in monitoring higher institutions from recruiting secondary school graduates as legal students without proper documentations through sanctions? Perhaps, Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education must set minimum requirements of admissions to one credit and two passes for remedial programs and or one credit and three passes for university and two to four passes for direct college admissions for secondary school athletes. Upon graduation, college athletes wishing to further into universities must only transfer class work or advance level grades and must no be require submitting the ordinary level as it’s an outdated results for admissions. Consequently, while in higher institutions, they should be encouraged and urged to maintain Grade Point Average (GPA) of two point zero (2.0 and better). Education is not how many distinctions, credits ‘one’ must pass from the West Africa Examinations Council or other forms before admissions is finalize and ethical calculations, 95 percent of secondary school athletes who turn as professional non-student athletes have very good grades from form 1---5 (or 6). Many are in the top five of their class, the only issue here most did not and cannot passed the WAEC and or NEC without giving up the other, as such examinations require more attention than just a mere class test or examinations. To be evenly, why can’t athletes transfer their class grades; instead they either have to go through similar examinations in reference to colleges who recruit athletes to remedial courses for institutional gains, when actually knowing such tests aren’t promising and addendum to, you have Yoruba, Igbo, Jukun, Tiv professors marking Hausa, Igala students’ papers, and vice versa, which there’s possibility of bias? At this juncture, Nigerian educational programs must be fully review to fit in with every student that combines infield and inclassroom activities the opportunities to upgrade their minds and not denying their minds to grow to benefits the nation. Distinction, credits and or passing grades must not determine how secondary school athletes pursue their educational dreams. It’s because of such harsh education that promote discrimination is influencing multi-talented athletes to collegiate sports in other countries.
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