We Will Continue To Support Academic Excellence In NAF Schools – Chief Of Air Staff

We Will Continue To Support Academic Excellence In NAF Schools – Chief Of Air Staff

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has promised to support efforts towards producing excellent academic results in all Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Schools in the country by providing conducive teaching and learning environment. He stated this while declaring open the 10th edition of the NAF Inter-Schools Sports and 3rd edition of NAF Inter-Schools Quiz and Debate Competitions today, 10 December 2018, at the Air Force Comprehensive Secondary School (AFCSS) Kaduna. The theme for the Sports Competition is “Building Future Leaders Through Sports” while that of the Quiz and Debate Competition is “Achieving Academic Excellence Through Educative Conversations”.

The CAS, who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Kingsley Lar, disclosed that the enviable performances of NAF primary and secondary schools in external examinations and the pressure for admission into the schools were clear pointers to the high standards attained. He noted that a veritable means of sustaining these high standards and realizing the requirements for effective training and innovation, as embedded in the NAF Schools’ Vision, is the incorporation of sporting and quiz/debating programmes into the curriculum. He highlighted that sports, quiz and debate competitions provide opportunities for the overall development of the 3 learning domains; cognitive, psychomotor and affective. The Guest of Honour explained that, while quiz and debates develop the cognitive domain through strategic, logical thinking, grammar and spelling skills, sports entail competitive physical activities for the maintenance and improvement of physical fitness and skills essential to the development of the psychomotor domain. He noted furthermore that the competitions also offer opportunities for students to have fun and interact, thereby developing their affective domain. The CAS congratulated the school heads and teachers for being part of the noble effort to move NAF schools forward and urged the students to take advantage of the event to develop competitive spirit that would enable them excel in their future endeavours.

In his welcome address, the Director of Education, Headquarters NAF, Group Captain Sobir Adeyanju, disclosed that the idea behind the event, which has brought over 500 students from the 13 NAF secondary schools together, was to foster teamwork and perseverance to achieve set objectives. He revealed that the event would improve the fitness level, develop the spirit of sportsmanship as well as help in identifying young talents among the students. He therefore urged participating students to compete fairly and accept the outcome of the competitions. He also thanked the CAS for magnanimously approving the resources required to hold the event as well as directing respective NAF Units to provide needed administrative support for the occasion.

The weeklong event will feature track and field events, volleyball, football, basketball and table tennis as well as quiz, debates and march-past. In the opening football match, which ended in a penalty shoot out, AFCSS Kano defeated the host team AFCSS Kaduna with 13 goals to12. The event was attended by the Air Officers Commanding Air and Ground Training Commands, AVM Mohammad Suleiman and AVM Idi Amin as well as other senior officers and invited dignitaries.