The JAMB syllabus for PHE (Physical and Health Education) has twelve sections, labelled A to L. They run from the history and philosophy of physical education through anatomy, athletics and ball games, nutrition and drugs, fitness, first aid, sports competitions, adapted physical education, community health and diseases, to family life education. UTME PHE questions are set only from those twelve sections.
Many PHE syllabus pages online show only four sections, A to D. The current JAMB document has twelve, and Sections E to L carry a large share of the easy marks. This guide covers all twelve for the 2027 UTME. It also lists JAMB’s recommended textbooks, the courses PHE helps with and their UTME subject combinations, a study plan, and the traps that catch candidates. Where I give my own view, I say so.
JAMB syllabus for PHE at a glance
| Detail | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Full name | Physical and Health Education |
| Exam | UTME, set by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) |
| Sections in the syllabus | 12 (A to L) |
| Questions in PHE | 40 multiple-choice questions (Use of English has 60) |
| Total exam time | 2 hours for all four subjects together |
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), no practical |
| Recommended textbooks | 8 |
| 2027 changes | None published by JAMB as of 24 October 2026 |
| Cost | Free on jamb.gov.ng |
What the PHE syllabus is testing
JAMB’s stated objectives for PHE, in my words:
- basic knowledge and skill in movement, fitness, body care and self-awareness;
- the knowledge behind good health habits;
- how human movement connects with biology, physics and the social sciences;
- the relationship between people and their environment, especially in stopping disease from spreading;
- lasting interest in physical and health education.
Health runs through most of that list, and the sections follow it: more than half of the twelve deal with the body, disease and safety, with sport taking up the rest.
All 12 sections of the JAMB PHE syllabus explained
| Section | Title | Topics inside |
|---|---|---|
| A | Foundations and principles of PHE | Meaning, scope and philosophy of PE; health education and its settings; health promotion |
| B | Human anatomy and physiology | Cells and tissues; skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory and excretory systems; somatotypes and posture |
| C | Theory of practice of sports and games | Athletics (track and field); football and basketball; table tennis and badminton |
| D | Food, nutrition and drugs | Nutrients, balanced diet, diet planning; beverages, deficiencies, water; drug types, misuse and abuse |
| E | Physical fitness and conditioning | Fitness components; aerobic, anaerobic, strength and endurance training |
| F | Recreation, leisure and dance | Indoor and outdoor recreation; traditional Nigerian dances |
| G | First aid and safety education | First aid principles, injuries, emergencies; accidents, disasters and safety |
| H | National and international competitions | National Sports Festival; NUGA, NIPOGA, NATCEGA, NSSF; All Africa Games; sports governing bodies |
| I | Corrective and adapted PE | Disability types, adapted activities, prevention, corrective exercises |
| J | Personal, community and environmental health | Body hygiene; eye, ear and dental defects; health services; maternal and child health; ageing and death education |
| K | Communicable and non-communicable diseases | Disease causes and classes; prevention; environmental health; hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell and others |
| L | Family life and human sexuality education | Family types; sexuality and reproductive health rights; family planning |
Section A: Foundations and principles of PHE
The meaning, nature, scope and objectives of physical education, and the ideas of its early thinkers: the syllabus names Hetherington, Dudley Sargent, Thomas Wood and John Dewey. Then the history of PE in ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens), Rome and Nigeria across the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. You should also know the four ancient Greek festivals: Olympian, Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian.
The health education half covers its meaning, philosophy and objectives, the settings where it happens (home, school, community, health facility, workplace) and the difference between health education and health promotion. History questions here are pure recall. Make a timeline once and revise it weekly.
Section B: Human anatomy and physiology
The biggest section. It covers cell structure, the four tissue types (epithelial, connective, muscle, nerve), mitosis and meiosis, and then the body systems: skeletal (axial and appendicular skeleton, bone and joint types, movements at joints), muscular (major muscles, isometric versus isotonic contraction), nervous system and sense organs, circulatory, respiratory and excretory systems.
It ends with somatotypes (endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph) and posture, including the defects flatfoot, scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis, with their causes and corrections. If you also write Biology, much of this overlaps with Section B of our JAMB Biology syllabus guide, so you can revise both together.
Section C: Theory of practice of sports and games
Only these sports are named in the syllabus:
- Track events: sprints (50m, 100m, 200m, 400m), hurdles and relays; start styles (bullet or bunch, medium, elongated); visual and non-visual baton exchange and the takeover zone; hurdle clearance and spacing; middle distance (800m, 1,500m) and long distance (3,000m up to the marathon, plus cross-country); rules and officiating.
- Field events: discus, javelin and shot put; high jump, long jump, pole vault and triple jump. For each one: facilities, equipment specifications, styles, techniques, rules, officiating and safety.
- Ball games: football and basketball (skills, facilities, equipment, officials, rules).
- Racket games: table tennis and badminton (skills, facilities, equipment, officials, rules).
Volleyball, handball, hockey and swimming are not on the current list. I would not spend time on them for the UTME.
Section D: Food, nutrition and drugs
Classes of food nutrients with their sources and uses, the balanced diet, and diet planning for five groups: children, adolescents, athletes, pregnant women and the elderly. Food preservation, storage and hygiene. Then the nutritional value of beverages, common deficiency diseases and their remedies, and the role of water.
The drugs part lists five types: stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, sedatives and ergogenic aids. You must know the difference between drug use, misuse and abuse, the causes and prevention of abuse, and the effects of self-medication.
Section E: Physical fitness and conditioning programmes
The definition of physical fitness, the difference between health-related components (such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, body composition) and performance-related components (such as speed, agility, power, balance, coordination), and the benefits of regular activity. Then the four conditioning programmes: aerobic, anaerobic, strength and endurance training.
Section F: Recreation, leisure and dance
Definitions of recreation, leisure, work and rest; indoor and outdoor recreational activities, with Ayo and draughts named as examples; how recreation differs from competitive sport; and safety during recreation. The dance part covers the meaning and value of dance and traditional Nigerian dances, their steps and costumes.
Section G: First aid and safety education
The aims and principles of first aid, the qualities of a good first aider and the contents of a first aid box. Common injuries (cuts, wounds, sprains, strains, dislocations, fractures) and special conditions (bleeding, burns, scalds, shock, poisoning). The agencies named are St John Ambulance and the Red Cross. Safety education covers types and causes of accidents and disasters, prevention, disaster relief, and safety at home, school, work and in the community.
Section H: National and international sports competitions
| Abbreviation | Meaning as you should learn it |
|---|---|
| NUGA | Nigerian University Games Association |
| NIPOGA | Nigerian Polytechnic Games Association |
| NATCEGA | Nigerian Colleges of Education Games Association |
| NSSF | Nigeria School Sports Federation |
| SCSA | Supreme Council for Sports in Africa |
| IOC | International Olympic Committee |
| FIFA | International Federation of Association Football |
| IAAF | The world athletics body, now renamed World Athletics |
| FIBA | International Basketball Federation |
| ITTF | International Table Tennis Federation |
| BWF | Badminton World Federation |
| ISSF | Named in the syllabus without an expansion; learn it from your recommended textbook |
The section also covers the National Sports Festival and how it is organised, federation and corporate competitions, and the history and aims of the All Africa Games. Note that the syllabus still says IAAF. If an option reads “World Athletics”, that is the same body.
Section I: Corrective and adapted physical education
Types of disability and special needs, physical activities adapted for them, the social and emotional problems people with special needs face, prevention of disability, and corrective exercises used in rehabilitation.
Section J: Personal, community and environmental health
Personal health covers hygiene of the teeth, mouth, hair, skin, hands and nails, and keeping healthy through exercise, nutrition and check-ups. You should recognise eye defects (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism), ear problems (otitis media, partial deafness) and dental diseases (caries, gingivitis). Community health covers orthodox and traditional health services, maternal and child health (antenatal care, immunisation, oral rehydration, breastfeeding, safe motherhood), and ageing and death education.
Section K: Communicable and non-communicable diseases
Communicable diseases are grouped by route: airborne, water and food-borne, insect-borne, worm infections, animal-borne and contact diseases. Prevention covers immunisation, sterilisation and isolation. The environmental health part covers housing and town planning, water sources and purification, refuse and sewage disposal, pollution, and pest and vector control. The non-communicable diseases named are hypertension, sickle cell disease, cancer, epilepsy, ulcer, asthma and diabetes.
Section L: Family life and human sexuality education
Family types: nuclear (monogamous, polygamous, single-parent, adoptive) and extended, and what makes a family happy. The meaning of sexuality education and reproductive health rights. Family planning methods named are condoms, pills, intrauterine devices and abstinence, with the advantages and disadvantages of each, and family life problems in Nigeria such as premarital sex, extramarital sex and widowhood.
Recommended textbooks in the JAMB syllabus for PHE
| Author (year) | Title and publisher |
|---|---|
| Afuekwe, A. I. (2007) | An Introductory Textbook of Physical Education for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1, Sales Point (Nig.) Co. |
| Afuekwe, A. I. (2009) | Health Topics in the New Curriculum of Physical and Health Education, Vol. 1, Seas Print (Nig.) Co. |
| Nnabueze, U. C. (2002) | Foundation of Health and Physical Education for Schools, Vol. II, Okotech Publishers, Enugu |
| Ofadeji, A. A. (2013) | Comprehensive Textbook on Physical and Health Education |
| Oworu, O. O. (2004) | Fundamentals of Physical Education, Lucky Odoni (Nig.) Enterprises |
| Oyerinde, O. O., Dada, J. O. and Oloyede, R. O. (2021) | A Textbook of Physical and Health Education for Secondary School in Contemporary Nigeria Education System, 4th ed., Fabonish Publisher, Ibadan |
| Oyerinde, O. O., Dada, J. O. and Oloyede, R. O. (2021) | All Times Health Education for Individual and College Student, 4th ed., Fabonish Publisher |
| Puffa, H. A., Agbeko, W. W. and Amui, J. C. (2009) | Foundations of Physical Education and Sports, Winneba, Ghana |
If I were buying one, I would pick the 2021 Oyerinde, Dada and Oloyede secondary school textbook, since it is the newest on the list and written for the current Nigerian curriculum. Add a sports rulebook summary for Section C, because rules and measurements change.
Which courses need PHE, and the UTME subject combination
PHE is useful mainly for Human Kinetics, Physical and Health Education, Physical Education, Health Education and similar sports science courses. In the JAMB brochure entries I checked, PHE is not named as a compulsory UTME subject for any of these. Biology is the anchor, and PHE counts as one of the “relevant” subjects only where an institution accepts it.
| Course | UTME subjects (general rule) | O’Level (general rule) |
|---|---|---|
| Physical and Health Education | Use of English, Biology and any two relevant subjects | Five credits including English Language and Biology or an equivalent |
| Human Kinetics | Use of English and three relevant subjects; most listed institutions want Biology | Five credits at one sitting including English, Mathematics, Biology or Health Science or PE, and two others |
| Physical Education | Use of English, Biology and any two relevant subjects | Five credits including English and a science subject |
| Health Education | Use of English, Biology and any two relevant subjects | Five credits including English and Biology or Health Science |
Some institutions are stricter. For Human Kinetics, UNILAG and ABU ask for Biology and two other science subjects, while IAUE lists Biology plus two from Physical Education, Health Science and Physics. DELSU accepts Health Science in place of Biology for Health Education and Physical Education.
My advice: Use of English, Biology, Chemistry and PHE is the combination least likely to get you rejected, because Biology and Chemistry satisfy the “science” wording at strict schools and PHE suits the course. Check your chosen school’s entry in the brochure on the JAMB portal before you register, because a wrong combination can cost you admission even with a good score. The JAMB Chemistry syllabus guide covers the Chemistry paper if you take that route.
Before you register: profile code and O’Level upload
- From your own phone line, text NIN, a space, then your 11-digit NIN (for example, NIN 12345678901) to 55019 or 66019 to get your JAMB profile code. Make sure your NIN name matches your WAEC or NECO certificate.
- At the CBT centre, choose PHE as one of your three subjects only after confirming your school accepts it.
- After the UTME, upload your O’Level result at a JAMB-accredited centre so CAPS can process your admission. The JAMB CAPS guide explains the stages after that.
How to study the PHE syllabus in 8 weeks
| Week | Sections | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Timeline of PE history, Greek festivals, philosophers, health education settings |
| 2 to 3 | B | Skeleton, joints, muscles, nervous, circulatory, respiratory and excretory systems, posture defects |
| 4 | C | Track and field measurements and rules, football, basketball, table tennis, badminton |
| 5 | D, E | Nutrients, diet planning, drug classes, fitness components, training types |
| 6 | G, J, K | First aid, hygiene, eye and ear defects, disease classes, environmental health |
| 7 | F, H, I, L | Recreation and dance, competitions and abbreviations, adapted PE, family life |
| 8 | All | Past questions, timed sets of 40 in 25 minutes, revisit every wrong answer |
Sections F, H, I and L are short and mostly recall. I put them together in week 7 because a week of steady revision covers them, and candidates who skip them lose marks they could have kept easily.
Common traps in UTME PHE
- Using a four-section syllabus. Some websites still show only Sections A to D. Fitness, first aid, competitions, diseases and family life are all examinable.
- Misuse versus abuse. Misuse is using a drug wrongly, for example the wrong dose or without directions. Abuse is deliberate, excessive use for non-medical effect. Questions test this difference directly.
- Isometric versus isotonic. Isometric means the muscle contracts without changing length, as in pushing a wall. Isotonic means the muscle changes length, as in lifting a weight.
- Posture defects. Kyphosis is an exaggerated forward curve of the upper back, lordosis an exaggerated inward curve of the lower back, and scoliosis a sideways curve. Candidates swap these often.
- Somatotypes. Endomorph is round and heavy, mesomorph muscular, ectomorph thin and lean.
- Old sports rules. Textbook rules can be out of date. Where a textbook and the current official rule disagree, check the rule with the sport’s governing body.
Has JAMB changed the PHE syllabus for 2027?
As of 24 October 2026, JAMB has not published any new PHE syllabus for the 2027 UTME. The current document has twelve sections and eight recommended texts, the newest dated 2021. JAMB had also not confirmed 2027 registration dates when I checked. For comparison, 2026 registration ran from 26 January to 28 February 2026, and the UTME was written from 16 to 25 April 2026.
For other subjects, see our guides to the JAMB syllabus for Government, Economics and Geography.
Frequently asked questions
Is PHE a JAMB subject?
Yes. Physical and Health Education is an approved UTME subject with its own JAMB syllabus. Whether it counts for your course depends on your institution’s entry in the JAMB brochure.
Can I study Human Kinetics without PHE in JAMB?
Yes. The brochure entries I checked do not make PHE compulsory for Human Kinetics. Most schools want Biology plus two relevant or science subjects.
How many questions are in JAMB PHE?
PHE has 40 multiple-choice questions. You answer them alongside Use of English and two other subjects within two hours.
Is there a practical in JAMB PHE?
No. The UTME is a computer-based multiple-choice test. Sports skills and techniques are tested in theory only.
Sources and updates
The twelve sections, their contents and the eight recommended texts come from the JAMB UTME Physical and Health Education syllabus. Subject combinations come from the JAMB brochure entries for Physical and Health Education, Human Kinetics, Physical Education and Health Education as reproduced on myschool.ng, which should be confirmed on JAMB’s own brochure portal before registration. The 2026 registration and exam dates come from JAMB’s 2026 announcement as reported by Blueprint. The current syllabus document is free on jamb.gov.ng. Last checked 24 October 2026.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
