By Abdulrasheed Olokoto 

Look around the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Building Old Pitch (S.U.B.) on any morning, and you are likely to see students dressed in white uniforms, looking, as some would say, like Real Madrid players.

Many people believe that some academic programmes are less competitive and that students sometimes find themselves studying certain courses through circumstances beyond initial preference. 

This perception is particularly associated with the Department of Human Kinetics, as many within and outside the university have little understanding of the discipline.

Contrary to this perception, Fakorede, a 300-level student of the Department of Human Kinetics and Sports Secretary of the Faculty of Education, chose to study the discipline by choice.

At some point, he stopped responding to the criticism, believing there was little value in explaining Human Kinetics to people who had limited understanding of the field and little willingness to learn about it.

Fakorede stated, “I applied for this Department. I was not thrown into it. Human Kinetics was my preferred course of study right from the beginning.”

“Some other people at the same time will say we only do sports, go to the field to play every morning, and that’s what we do throughout the day. They call us all sorts of names. We always face the criticism of ‘jumping around’ every morning,” he added.

The Sports Secretary explained that Human Kinetics covers many areas and welcomes students from different academic backgrounds, regardless of what they studied in secondary school.

According to him, the negative perception about Human Kinetics may decline with the proposed establishment of a Faculty of Sports, which would demonstrate the importance of sports to physical well-being and economic livelihoods.

“I think the time has come when this course would be made known to the public at large, and encourage students to apply as they are in the process of establishing a Faculty of Sports,” he said.

Martha, a 200-level student of the department, told IndyPress that many students view the discipline largely as a source of fun and entertainment, but noted that there is more to it than meets the eye.

“Personally, I believe they see our activities as all fun and games. Some students even jokingly refer to our department as ‘Jumpology,’” Martha said.

“However, I believe that assumption comes from a lack of understanding of what Human Kinetics truly entails. As the saying goes, ‘experience is the best teacher.’ Judging something you have never experienced is simply speaking out of ignorance,” she said.

For Elijah, another 300-level student of the department, the biggest misconception is that the department is simply about playing sports.

“Some students think HKE is mainly football, athletics, gym, and practical activities, without realizing how much anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, psychology, biomechanics, health and education can be involved,” he said.

Elijah noted that Human Kinetics is often regarded as one of the easiest disciplines, with some students viewing the course as less academically demanding, simply because they do not see the work that goes into its practical courses.

“This can lead to the stereotype that HKE is an ‘easy department.’ Some lecturers even say, ‘HKE students are not meant to use classrooms.’ That our lecture hall is the field,” he stated.

Elijah said a common misconception about Human Kinetics is that its students are thought to be trained only to become Physical and Health Education teachers because the discipline is housed in the Faculty of Education. 

He, however, noted that Human Kinetics offered a wide range of career opportunities and, in some parts of the world, exists as a faculty in its own right.

Alimi Olanrewaju Abdulhameed, a 400-level student and president of the department, also noted that many students overlooked the theoretical lectures and academic work that take place in the department.

“But their belief is false. We do have theory lectures, and there is no difference in our lecture pattern from departments like Law, MBBS,” he said.

He explained that Human Kinetics students also study Biomechanics, Psychology, Anatomy, Physiology, and CMAS courses such as Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Nutrition.

Unlike Fakorede, Abdulhameed found himself in the department by chance, but the experience has since made the discipline an interesting one for him.

“Based on my own personal experience, I would pick Human Kinetics 100 times again over my initial first choice because of the experience I have had,” the president said.

According to him, the department exposed him to sports, which he now enjoys, while also shaping his life.

“I wish other students can understand the fact that there are various opportunities in Human Kinetics and Sport generally. It is a very good career pathway to success,” he said.

Speaking on discrimination, he said he had not experienced any, apart from occasional remarks that sometimes led to controversy or strained relations with students in the department.

“There is no specific incident where I was looked down on. But there are many cases whereby we receive banter in the course of participating in sport competitions within the University because they believe we study sports, and we should be able to thrive in intra-university sports competitions,” he said.

Challenges Faced by Human Kinetics Students 

Like students elsewhere, Human Kinetics students also face academic challenges.

Fakorede said Human Kinetics students face the same academic demands as their peers in other departments, particularly the challenge of balancing practical training with theoretical coursework. 

He noted that a typical day begins with practical sessions from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by lectures from 10 a.m. that can run until 4 p.m. or even 6 p.m.

“It’s very draining because it involves physical, psychological, and emotional aspects too. In summary, the main academic challenge is managing intense training sessions with theory classes immediately and it is not once a week, but everyday,” he said.

Also speaking on the challenges, Martha noted that the workload can be demanding, particularly when students have to balance practical activities with theoretical classes.

“It’s been a rollercoaster. It’s been both challenging and interesting. It is very diverse. It’s not only focused on sports because we also learn about the anatomy of the human body,” she explained.

Sharing his own thoughts on the challenges, Elijah said many students wake up as early as 5 a.m. to prepare for practical classes held from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lectures at the Faculty from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

“More so, the number of weeks in a semester is not enough for lecturers to finish the course syllabus and most times they are rushed on a skill or topic, and would find it hard to assimilate,” he suggested.

Abdulhameed described a typical academic day as demanding and like a shuffled rhythm between practical training, classroom lectures and sports practice. 

According to him, students move from the field to the classroom and back again, switching between formal attire and sportswear, juggling academic work with intensive training before finally returning to the hostels in the evening.

“Eating during the day then feels like a task that has to be planned for because the entire day was a busy one,” Abdulhameed said.

He added, “That’s a 5 am to 8 pm cycle.  And even at that, there are still other dealings that have to be completed, such as; assignments, coupled with the fact that you have to sleep well to recover and get ready for the next day which might as well run from am to 8 pm again,” he explained.

Some Academic Challenges Peculiar to Human Kinetics still mostly falls back to balancing sports with class activity, some of our students are representing their chosen sports at University level, state level, national level and even international level. It gets to a point where athletes skip lectures due to the fact that they have to stay committed to the sports they compete in. 

“For instance, NUGA , WAUG , FISU, FASU. We have products from Human Kinetics that have been represented in these levels and in the course of training, traveling for the event, etcetera, sometimes it’ll be at the detriment of their lectures and classes,” he said.

Accessibility to School Facilities 

Speaking on their access to the university’s sports facilities, Fakorede noted that the facilities are accessible to them at any time with much time for practice and training. However, they are not sufficient for the student population.

“The facilities are actually accessible, but not really enough. We have just a few hours for practical sessions in the morning, between 7 AM to 9AM, every weekday. For each sport, the equipment is not sufficient for the number of students using it at a given time,” he said.

According to Elijah, the facilities they need depend on the sports being taught at that particular time. Because each sport requires different facilities for it to be taught effectively. But all sports facilities are accessible to Human Kinetics students.

“All the sports facilities available in UI are accessible to us, Human Kinetics students,” he said.

Abdulhameed also noted that all the sporting facilities are used by students of the Department. According to his personal experience, he has not been denied access. Although, he believes some students may have been confronted while attempting to use some facilities.

However, he rated the University’s sports facilities 6 out of 10 for considerable reasons which he cited.

“Some of those facilities need renovation, for example, the UI swimming pool toilet. The volleyball courts have no light for evening use. The same goes for the Tennis courts,” he observed.

“Also the New Stadium, commonly referred to as Awo Stadium is too far away from students. The same goes for the Basketball courts. Most importantly, the General Aesthetics of these facilities can always be improved,” he noted.

The Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education at the University of Ibadan was established in 1975 as the Department of Physical and Health Education under the Faculty of Education.

Like similar departments in other Nigerian universities, the department was established to train teachers and sports administrators for schools, sports councils and commissions. 

Its postgraduate programme, on the other hand, focused on producing higher-level personnel for colleges of education, universities and sports councils.

The department offers specialisations in Physical Education and Sports Administration, Exercise Physiology, Health Education, Sports Sociology and Psychology, and Recreation.