Esther Tyson, ContributorJamaicans are still revelling in the glow and euphoria of the achievements of our athletes in Beijing, despite the effects of Gustav. The questions, however, are still being asked: What can be learnt from our athletes' achievements? How can we ensure that lasting value is gained from what has been accomplished in Beijing?
Certainly, one of things that we need to realise is that the secondary-schools' sports programme has been the cradle of our great athletes. We have been told that we have a particular edge as Jamaicans because we have the quick-tick muscle. We have recognised that as a tiny country, we must tap into our uniqueness in order to find and maintain a place in this global village. The potential that we have to produce world sprinters must be seen as a part of what will set us apart in this increasingly homogenised world. Doesn't it, therefore, make sense that the Government and private sector ensure that the cradle of the sprinters is well funded and organised? That this cradle is constantly being remoulded and shaped to ensure that it gives support to developing the athletes of Jamaica?
schools' allocation budget
At present, the Government does not give support to the sports programme at the secondary-school level. Schools have an allocation on the budget for physical education, not the extended sports programme. Therefore, in order to support the sports programme in the school, many boards and principals must find ways and means to raise the funds necessary to do this. The fact that ISSA, the body that organises and oversees the secondary- schools sports competitions is made up of principals of secondary schools, speaks to the truth of this situation. The management of the Manning Cup and the DaCosta Cup Football competitions is done by ISSA; the organisation of the National Boys' and Girls' Athletic Championships is done by ISSA; and we could go on.
I believe that we are at that stage of development in our nation where we need to look again at how the Government interfaces with the schools with regard to sports.
There is a ministry of sports that should be working at developing a broad and integrated approach to the production of world- class athletes in Jamaica. This ministry should be engaging bodies such as ISSA in conceiving and implementing such a plan. It should not be only focused on the post-secondary level. This plan should also include corporate Jamaica, since clearly, the companies that supported the Beijing athletes benefited stupendously from their success in the Olympics.
We must lift our vision of sports to another plane. We must become intentional as a nation in developing this vast potential that the secondary schools by themselves have been struggling to do. I do not think that the sports development needed to achieve such an objective should be left to the creative genius of individual principals, as good as we are at 'tunning our hands to mek fashion'. This vision needs more than us; it needs more than extortion.
Another area that needs a national and broad development plan at the secondary- school level is the performing arts. We have produced world-class musicians and we are recognised globally because of Bob Marley and our other great reggae artistes. Isn't this another area that as a small nation we should be tapping into? This creative, musical ability that seems to pulse through our Jamaican psyche? Yet, traditionally, we have one music teacher per school. This is so because the Government's policy of determining the number of teachers employed to the schools is based on a ratio. Therefore, schools such as Ardenne are allowed to employ one teacher for every 20 students. When, however, you try to offer a diverse programme which includes technical and practical-based subjects that can only accommodate small classes, it limits the number of teachers that are left to be deployed to the other subject areas.
I think that the Government should be looking at schools that wish to use a poly-technic approach in their curriculum development and give them the necessary resources needed to support this approach. Such a programme would offer to our students areas in which their varying abilities could be developed. Therefore, if a child has the aptitude for the performing arts, a programme should be offered that causes this to grow; if a child has the capacity for technical subjects, development should be encouraged; if a child has the potential to be a good athlete, support should be provided; if a child is curious about the world and wants to be a scientist, labs and good teachers should facilitate this; if a child is an abstract thinker and wants to explore issues, a programme in the humanities should be there to develop this ability. A secondary school is a cradle for all these potentials.
grammar or technical schools
Whereas support is given traditionally for the grammar and technical subjects, this support is based on whether schools are categorised as grammar or technical schools. There are schools such as Ardenne that are neither grammar nor technical schools, but which seek to offer a curriculum that allows each child to find his or her niche and to excel. I am asking the Ministry of Education to shift its focus and look at how resources are allocated, based not just on a pupil-teacher ratio, but also on the programmes that are offered. For instance, to develop a performing-arts department would require not just additional teaching staff, but also resources to develop appropriate facilities, such as a small studio where students can learn about the technical support needed in recording music, among other things. This would need a shift in our traditional approach to education.
We must recognise who we are, what our strengths as a people are and seek to develop the greatness within us in order to ensure our distinct and unique identity in this homogenised world.
