THE annual National Schools Championships seems almost destined for another year of late planning, this year, as the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) still awaits a response from the Ministry of Education, particularly the Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, as it pertains to the hosting of this year’s Championships.

With just over two months to go before the hosting of the major event, no management committee for the Championships has been formed, and the GTU and MoE are still to meet to have any discussions outlining plans for this year’s hosting, a GTU source confirmed this week.

“We’re already in the sports term and we still don’t even have any confirmation in terms of if we’re going to have Nationals or not. It’s the Ministry that has the final say.
“We’re trying our utmost to get a hearing with the CEO (Chief Education Officer) as it relates to Nationals because we know that we’re generally behind time, but nothing has transpired since (earlier this year). We haven’t had a single word from him as it relates to Nationals since they had that long meeting,” the source shared.

The two bodies have not held any discussions since a meeting back in April, when it was proposed that the 2018 hosting of the event be split into separate primary school and secondary school competitions, with the secondary school competition being moved to the Easter term.

This year’s edition, which is scheduled for November 24 – 27, was expected to be a “farewell” of its current format, with the new format ushered in early next year.
This change came as the MoE sought to begin taking into consideration some of the recommendations made in a proposal submitted following the ‘Forum on the Development of the National Schools Championships in Guyana’ held at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) back in January, 2015.

A lot of mixed opinions came out of that meeting, with many hinting that the GTU was not entirely pleased with the decision to see the Championships split and moved. GTU president Mark Lyte, however, himself refrained from openly commenting on the issue.
Chronicle Sport continually attempted to make contact with the CEO, but was told that he was in a meeting on each attempt.

Despite talks over the years on the heavy emphasis being placed on improving sports in schools, the National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships, or Nationals – the biggest schools multi-sport event – has failed to improve in standard over the years.

Moreover, attendance has even begun to decline. The lack of attention to the event is usually also shown in the poor planning of the event, where late planning and disorganisation are usually the order of the day.
“It’s a norm to start (planning) late but you see we just so versed in this thing that we can manoeuvre and make it look good,” the source remarked.

The MoE has no stable body that overlooks the planning of Nationals, and only forms an oversight body a few months, or weeks, prior to the hosting of the event.
Though the GTU has a sports department, headed by chairman, Seon Bristol, at the MoE end the Physical Education Department under the Unit of Allied Arts is responsible for sports-related activities. This section is headed by Nicholas Fraser. Though the PE Department usually plays a role in planning of Nationals, it is by no means wholly in charge of planning the event on the MoE’s end.

Nationals is the longest running sport event in Guyana, which features athletes from all across Guyana, grouped into 15 districts competing in athletics, cycling and swimming events, across a five-day period.
Upper Demerara/Kwakwani, District 10, are the reigning champions of the event, and have been the most successful team at the event over the years.