Dear Editor,
Someone remarked to me that although this is the longest semester for public schools, it is the one with the most disruption because so many activities are held during the month.
I understand that sports have traditionally been held in Guyana going back decades upon decades because October is the driest month of the year. Maybe no more, because Guyana’s heat is interrupted by sudden downpours and recently, high tide flooding.
All of the above being said, could someone give me answers to the following:-
Why are the poorest families denied what is meant to be a fun day of school sports because they are required to have T shirts and running shorts or skirts in order to represent their houses with house colours? If they can’t afford it, how can they go?
Why are school sports such big (maybe PTA) fund raisers that tickets must be bought to enter the grounds by both students and parents. If students and parents from the same poor families can’t afford tickets to enter the sports grounds, aren’t they again being denied the fun of a school sports day?
Sports are now held on any day of the week these days, no longer on Fridays, as used to be back in the ‘good old days’ perhaps because of the availability of the sports grounds – but would someone also explain to me just why a so called ‘rest day’ is given or even considered necessary after a school sports day? Who’s resting? The kids? The teachers? Everyone? Seriously? When sports are held on a Friday, why is a ‘rest day’ then held on a Monday?
Does anyone in Guyanese Education Leadership realize that Guyanese schoolchildren have so many less days per year for learning when ‘rest days’ and days when Miss says ‘yuh all stay home tomorrow- I gat me wuk fuh do ’ (usually after exam days) are added to the many holidays, official and unofficial, that children have taken away from their actual yearly school days which ought to be spent in learning? I totally understand annual school sports but closing the entire school for inter- school sports etc, when some children are left out because of the expense involved must be considered unfair and unjust not to mention discriminatory to poor children & families! Who cares about this? Who is looking into this sad state of affairs?
Children don’t and won’t quite understand – but parents & caregivers absolutely should – and definitely education top brass should absolutely take into account that when fewer days are spent in all day school learning – whether in class or on an educational trip – this means that less learning takes place all year. This week I heard of a secondary school which, having had numerous days off for practicing field events, track events, other sports events, the real sports, inter school sports, so called ‘rest days’ in between each of these sports days, and of course Teachers’ day last week – were given yet another half day off because of 5th & 6th grade graduation.
So finally, why would a graduation not have taken place in June is the question?
I look forward to a rational response from a decision maker in Education.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
