Stepping up the game with change

The lamentations of the state of our schools’ sporting disciplines have gone unnoticed, unchecked and those in authority have been unresponsive to these hues and cries.

Therefore, it may be time for the school authorities to begin to step up their games, given that they have some level of autonomy vested in them by the same government apparatus, who excel in failure.

The set-up shows that many of our schools have been assigned one person to carry out its sports programme.

Realistically, that is not possible, as that person invariably, despite his or her qualification and tenacity, will only be versed in one or two disciplines.

Hence, that institution will not be adequately served in the disciplines for which the assigned schools’ personnel are best equipped.

In addressing such deficiencies in expertise, innovation and creativity would have to be used to tap into the services of those outside the school system.

Also, schools can seek the help of national associations, which have numerous trained and certified coaches to see them through, at least for the period of competition for the respective disciplines.

Likewise, the few secondary schools which show some seriousness about sports and push for excellence in that field should begin to go the route of recruiting students to suffice their disciplines.

The reality is that these schools cannot forever depend on the intake from the primary schools’ exit examinations, but target those who show promise from the various competitions at that level.

Principals, too, have to let go of the status quo in which they see academics as the sole purpose of the schools’ set-up.

They have to acknowledge that their institutions can make waves and earn prominence through the medium of sports.

In turn, successes at sports can attract those who are academically inclined, helping to profile the schools which venture out in the practice of recruiting students who are adept at sports.

Conversely, it is well known that many of students will never make it academically, as there are many preventative factors which hinder them from maximizing their learning abilities.

Providing these students with the platform which they know best and on which they can show their wares, can give better results rather than forcing then to be involved in areas which hold little interest to them.

Making them functionally literate, whilst allowing them to practise their sports craft will be more beneficial to the young men and women and assure them an avenue for some sense of achievement.

In lifting the game, schools have to begin to design programmes which will ensure increased levels of sporting performance, rather than rely on the innate talents.

Schools have to go the way of pre-competition preparations and other structured forms of training and the likes.

This may mean radicalizing the operations of the schools, inclusive of time-tabling, greater parental engagement and community involvement.

Part of this approach is for extended period for the teaching of sports specifics for the skilled young sportsmen and women, whilst covering the core areas of academics.

The rigidity of the school system hence restricts the free expression of students.

Moving away from the norm is dictated by the various trends that are taking place around us, as the reverberations of a frustrated schools’ population, which is viced in the prescriptions ordered of the way such institutions should run.

Because of this unwillingness to effect changes, St Vincent and the Grenadines remains to look from the back of the pack and watch the front runners extend their lead.