Warrican prescribes dosages for integrating education for cricket development

The annual prize giving ceremony of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA), held last Saturday evening at the Murray’s Heights Hotel conference hall, challenged the stakeholders of the sport to pay greater attention to players’ education.{{more}}

Listing the benefits of education, Warrican noted: “Education promotes critical thinking skills that contribute to sound decision-making…. Education promotes communication skills; the ability to express oneself clearly and sensibly is vital in today’s sporting arena.”

Continuing his list of the pluses of education, Warrican said, “Education helps people to develop skills in the management of time and other resources… In today’s environment, sport is big business and those who are serious about making it a career must approach it in a professional manner… Education helps sportspersons to develop a worldview that can serve them well as they move up the ladder in their sport.”

Providing the pathway towards such integration, Warrican provided some avenues which must be traversed.

“Within the clubs and cricketing contexts in which our players develop their cricketing skills, incorporate training in other essential skills such as communication skills, time and money management skills, and social skills…. Help our players to develop a level of confidence that will follow them onto the cricket field,” Warrican advised.

“Teach them a sense of occasion: how to dress for events, how to deport themselves at these events, how to socialise with all sorts of people… Teach them how to speak to the media and how to deal with fans and supporters as well as detractors… Teach them to be cool under fire, staying focused and determined,” he added.

Warrican also promoted the need for sport people, especially young cricketers to read more.

“Encourage young cricketers to read about great players; epic matches; the development of the sport in the region and internationally. This is an invaluable part of the development of cricket here and regionally…Young players’ worldview should include knowledge of the struggle of past players whose actions contributed to the status of the game today and the opportunities currently available,” Warrican underscored.

“I want to challenge you to widen your perception of education to include not only learning obtained in a formal academic settings, but also the knowledge, skills and attitudes that can be obtained from activities such as travelling, meeting different people, reading for pleasure and negotiating new contexts,” Warrican forcefully said.

Warrican – a Vincentian, holds a masters’ degree in the philosophy of educational research, as well as a doctorate in the philosophy of education. He has been a teacher and a teacher of teachers, most recently working along Caribbean Centre for Excellence.

Warrican, an author and co-author of many, publications, served as director of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College from 2010 to 2013

Warrican is currently the director of the University of the West Indies Open Campus Academic programming.(RT)