Ministry, do the right thing!

Tue, Apr 24. 2012

Editor: Please permit me a space in your weekly newspaper to comment on an issue that, in my view, is an embarrassment to the Ministry of Education and the Government on a whole.{{more}}

Since the guard changed in the Ministry of Education, a picture of gross incompetence has been painted as it relates to Physical Education and Sports, specifically School Sports.

We have seen the formation of the different committees to deal with the specific sports in schools, headed by the respective Associations, an approach that is only being taken in SVG with the obvious, a hindrance to the progress and development of sports in schools.

This system is the brain child of outside influence/interference only to help justify the existence of a questionable sporting organization. A question was once asked: Where in the world do you have a sporting organization running school sports? Up to this date no answer was given.

Within the Ministry of Education; there are over ten professionals who are trained in the Management of Sports and Physical Education; so, why in heaven’s name has the Ministry been taking this outside influence/interference to every negotiation meeting? Name it: football, netball, cricket or track and field, is he the Guro of Sports? Or is it that the Ministry doesn’t recognize these professionals within its midst? Or maybe it’s because everything is Caba Caba presently?

Because of this senseless approach by the Ministry, this outside influence/interference has gained what he has been praying for, the near isolation of the Governmental Arm that is responsible for sports in St Vincent and the Grenadines (The Division of Physical Education and Sports).

I must agree that the Governing Bodies for the respective sports have their role to play in the development of school sports, but this role should only be of a technical nature, which must be channeled through the Division of Sports.

Concerned Educator
Fairness Sweeney

P.S. Since this change, the results of the Inter Secondary School sports have been dubious.

In closing, we must move away from insularity and be aware of persons with hidden agendas.

Ministry of Education, do the right thing.