Call for rational thinking, understanding, poise

Two sporting matters, one of a personal nature and the other with a broader national scope, were raised recently in the local media, and their subsequent discussions spilled varied opinions.

One of the issues at hand here, is the decision by the head of the IT-DAT Academy – Michael “Lord Have Mercy” Ollivierre to suspend/debar one of his promising athletes – Tarique John from further participation in the academy’s activities, for his continued practice of skin bleaching.{{more}}

In the matter, no one is the winner, as I may ask if debarring him from the academy will stop him from bleaching, or will the academy be better served without his athletics talent?

Also, whilst it is John’s personal choice to be involved in such practice, Ollivierre also has the right to stipulate what conditions, whether written or verbal, members of his academy must adhere to. But critical though, is whether or not the matter should have had to be played out in the media.

Could Ollivierre have used more of his time to propagate in John’s young impressionable mind the dangers of his choice to bleach, rather than take that drastic action?

The young man having been part of the IT-DAT set-up for more than a year now, Ollivierre would have known the challenges that he is grappling with and tried and reach out to him in a more fatherly manner.

On the other hand, when youngsters are enrolled in such sporting organizations, they are aware of the parameters of conduct and deportment; hence, they should conform or bear the consequences.

The youths of today are generally less inclined to tough out situations and in a case such as John’s, where the battle for identity takes prominence, the fragility of the mind is further softened when confronted with such a fight.

Hopefully, in this instance, it can be a teachable moment for both Ollivierre and John, so that they can mend the fences and neither will be targets of public ridicule for their respective choices and opinions.

Similarly, the new set of guidelines set down by the Ministry of Education, National Reconciliation and Ecclesiastical Affairs governing sports and physical education in schools have become another debate in some circles.

Among those being enforced are that each student participating in sports must be checked by a medical doctor who will determine the fitness of the student for the activity.

This is not new, as some years ago, then director of Physical Education and Sports Lynette Glasgow was an advocate of this measure; however, hers did not go as far as certification by a medical doctor.

Consent by a parent or guardian for students to participate in school sporting activities is another point stressed by the Ministry’s list of directives.

Also lodged in the new measures, as made known to educational institutions late last month, are that the vehicle used to transport students must satisfy all safety and legal requirements/standards, while principals must collect a copy of the vehicle’s insurance and the licence of the driver and that overcrowding of buses is prohibited.

For teams using motor vessels or other water craft, adults travelling with students across the sea must ensure that life jackets are available for each student and that they are accessible.

The Ministry also called on school authorities to brief students and teachers on the nature of the activities in which they would be involved, so that they would attire and conduct themselves accordingly.

When one looks at the guidelines, they are generally rational, as they are geared towards the protection of teachers and students alike.

More so, the Ministry of Education is covering its back, granted that they have been ridiculed for some of the mishaps in recent times, especially involving students.

Change is inevitable and the resistance would have come because things have been left to evolve without much streamlining.

But some of the criticisms levelled at the Ministry come in light of the fact that it had allowed too many things to have gone awry in the past, therefore persons have grown so accustomed to the status quo, that pulling back now comes a burden.

Ironically, parents of today, while wanting the best of both worlds, are more informed, more demanding, and so are requesting greater accountability from the system.

This again is amidst a growing tendency to embrace lawless thinking; there is still a large percentage of our population which sees unruly conduct as the order of the day.

Our world is changing; so too is the Vincentian landscape and things which are geared towards the betterment of our society’s structure should be taken on board, accompanied by rational thinking, understanding and poise.