AAG General Council refutes claim of engagement with Allied Arts to scrap “Nationals”

Sep 17, 2024 Sports

Kaieteur Sports – The tested and proven format of the National Inter-Schools Athletics Championships which is now being revamped by the Ministry of Education (MoE) through Allied Arts is causing a furore among the other stakeholders.

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), one of the main stakeholders, in terms of the event management, is refuting claims made by Head of Allied Arts Nicholas Fraser about an engagement with its General Council, who according to him was consulted for the change of the original format and for training of teachers and other officials in the various education districts.

According to multiple sources, no such engagement occurred, adding that it is somewhat disingenuous for the education official to make such a claim, knowing that it did not occur. “We know nothing of such a meeting and are surprised to see an article appear in Stabroek News of September 16 quoting Fraser as saying he had consulted with the Athletic Association,” the sources stated.

The sources further emphasised that there was neither a formal or informal meeting so for Fraser to come out and say that the AAG is on board is not accurate, but false.

The issue at hand is the MoE’s abrupt proposal to move the annual Athletics Championships from its usual yearend schedule to March 2025 which according to the ministry will serve as more beneficial to the athletes.

However, the AAG is contending that in the absence of a thorough scientific survey about the benefits the Ministry is touting, there should be serious deliberations with all stakeholders, to examine the impact, before any change is made or instituted. Areas necessary to examine before implementation are participation, student athletic development, healthy lifestyles, and impact on examination at grade 6 and CSEC levels.

The sources added that they are not against change, but the lack of consultation and the absence of proof about the benefits are the contentious issues right now.

“The system is not broken so why try to fix it, our athletes have been performing outstandingly both in terms of their track success and academically and we have the support of the MoE to support this notion, so why try to disrupt what is working without a thorough evaluation ,” one of the council members  contended.

The sources urged that it would be wise for the MoE to rethink its unilateral imposition and engage the AAG and other stakeholders in a meaningful way to arrive at a general agreement that will be embraced by all stakeholders.

• Allied Arts, engagement, Ministry of Education (MoE), nationals, stakeholders