Ministries moving aggressively to have sports in schools

Feb 08, 2009 Sports

–says Anthony as NSC launches basketball championships

HAVE A GOOD TOURNAMENT!!! Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony (left) and Director of Sport, Neil Kumar expresses words of encouragement to former national junior player and captain of Critchlow Labour College, Tyron Hamid during their ‘meeting of the teams’ yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

By Edison Jefford
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony informed that his ministry and the Ministry of Education are moving aggressively to have sports return to the schools’ curriculum in a new and strategic approach.
Anthony was speaking at the launching of the National Sports Commission (NSC) school basketball championships yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. He said the event is a manifestation of a collaborative effort.
“We are very pleased to host this tournament in collaboration, it’s a new approach that we have. As we announced last year, the two ministries will have a very aggressive programme to have sports in schools,” he said.
Anthony expressed elation over the launching of the tournament that Director of Sport, Neil Kumar initiated as part of a move to secure more players at the national level while returning basketball to the schools’ curriculum.
In that regard, Sean Erskine and Inga Henry, both of whom recently returned from Cuba with Degrees in Sports and Physical Education will help facilitate such programmes in unison with the Ministry of Education.
“I am pleased today that we are launching this basketball competition and it gives that signal of what we will be doing in the schools,” the minister indicated, adding that the success of the programme depends on collaboration.
“We need the collaboration of teachers, who will have to help us ensure that these programmes are done properly in schools, to have their students get coaching and get them into teams,” Anthony intimated.
He said that they also need the support of parents, who are responsible for channelling their children in the right direction. The minister noted that parents should focus on the holistic development of children.
“A child should have a holistic development where sports play an integral part in that development and that is why I would like to urge parents to be part of this [schools’] sports programme,” Anthony encouraged.
The minister also appealed to the associations involved for their support. He said that referees and officials, for instance, could waive their fees for school tournaments so that expenditure could help expand the sport.
“We don’t have a lot of players; many times when we try to hold tournaments, officials and referees involved ask for fee to officiate at some of these games. So what I am asking is if they can waive that fee [for schools],” he pleaded.
“I don’t mind if you charge for other games but let us work together to have sport in schools return to its rightful place,” the minister urged the officials and referees, who will play a crucial role in the outcome of the event.
Anthony beseeched players to have a “spirit of competitiveness but also have discipline” as there are ways to deal with concerns apart from aggression. “Play with the spirit of sportsmanship and have good behaviour,” he said.
The minister promised the players that the ministry will be encouraged to have such event year–round if their enthusiasm is high.
He also vowed to put together a basketball package for the winning and runner–up teams. During his turn at the microphone, which was before Anthony, Kumar acknowledge the support the NSC received from both ministries in executing the project. According to Kumar, the ministries motivated the event.
“I will support all school programmes, I consider you, the students, as our greatest assets, you are the people we should work with. I hope you students are aspiring to represent country at Inter–Guiana Games” he added.
The National Director of Sport encouraged the national associations namely the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation and Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association to move in the direction of the schools. “We at NSC [want the associations to know] that under the guidance and leadership of two ministries, we have only started this competition, we will be hosting a much bigger competition in July,” Kumar boasted.
The competition involves some 17 male teams and three female teams and will be held every afternoon from 3:30pm with the final and third place games set for February 22 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

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