IKO Karate Academy Guyana instructor Aliya Wong believes that the body’s ambitious karate in schools’ programme which is the brainchild of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is making progress.
Instructor Wong was at the time giving an update on the programme which features hundreds of students engaged nationwide, adding that the impact has surpassed their expectations.
“We have amassed substantial momentum in schools with over 300 students across 10 administrative regions and with 10 schools across the nation. When we go into schools, we get that excitement and this is in alignment with the President’s agenda and national objective of having overall holistic development with youth across the nation through sports.”
Wong said that a unique model has allowed them to overcome the logistical hurdles that would usually plague a national roll-out.
“It was important that we the IKO Guyana at the committee, sat down and set a very strict programme and plan in place to ensure that we have sustainability. When this programme was implemented, what we did with the instructors we have at IKO Guyana, we delegated by putting persons across the regions. It is cluster training, so while it is one schools hosting, it is actually five schools that are coming to this one school to have the training and that in itself was a smart move and logistically, it helped that impact because we have a transportation system in place for the kids from the schools to reach that cluster training destination and we have two instructors that [sic] carry on the classes.”
that they are handling 50 children per class, she noted, stating that this will culminate with a competition to will test the skills of the student athletes while preparing them for international competition.
“We will be taking this a step further. What we are hoping to have in the new school term is an interschool karate competition with the support of the President and the Ministry of Culture, Youth And Sports and that we are aiming to have about mid-June-July going into that August vacation and we are very focused on that we are excited to see what the students are going to bring.”
Wong added that the programme has also resulted in the growth of the IKO Guyana numbers as more youths become involved in the sport at their primary location at MYO on Woolford Avenue.
Instructor and IKO Karate Academy official Otto Harris, explained the effect he has noticed on young people.
“Once a child can understand and their cognatic ability is developed, we always encourage parents to bring them because you can’t always bend the tree when it is old, you have to start when it is young, and it is always easier to have that child come to karate club and develop themselves at an early age.”
IKO Guyana says they will continue to teach physical education teachers to help further train the children between sessions.
The first phase of the programme sees schools being targeted in Regions Four, Two and 10, but it has since growth to encompass all the regions.
Some of the schools are Annandale Secondary, President’s College, Bygeval Secondary, Aurora Secondary, McKenzie High, and North Ruimveldt Secondary.
