A senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Dr. Joshua Jeruntie Zaato, has called for reforms in Ghana’s education system to better recognise and reward students who excel in sports and other practical skills.
His comments come after the University for Development Studies (UDS) football team made history by winning the 2025 FISU University World Cup Football in Dalian, China. UDS defeated Brazil’s Paulista University 2–1 to clinch the global title.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Monday, September 29, 2025, Dr. Zaato congratulated the UDS team but stressed that their achievement underscores a long-standing gap in the country’s educational framework.
“The policy we now have is broken, and it doesn’t seem to reward things like sports. It is still structured to focus on reading and writing, and again reward nerds and bookworms, and leave people with their skills. It is not too late. We can change, especially now that we have a different ministry for youth development and a ministry for sports,” he said.
Dr. Zaato further urged closer collaboration between the Ministries of Education, Youth Development, and Sports to create an integrated system that nurtures and rewards talents outside the classroom.
“If we begin to reward people for their skills, then we are closing a very big gap,” he added.
The victory by UDS has sparked renewed debate on the need to balance academic excellence with recognition of talent in sports and other disciplines.
