MINISTER of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe has urged parents to not force their children to choose between sports and academics. Cudjoe said students can excel at both and create greater opportunities for themselves.
She made the call at a recognition ceremony to honour TT junior teams, including the Carifta aquatic team, the Carifta athletics team, the TT Under-15 boys' cricket team and the Under-16 netball team.
'I want to especially commend these young athletes,' Cudjoe said. 'For some people it is more difficult than others to balance school and sport…when you interact with parents and you talk to the coaches, the majority of them are doing well in school. That negates that belief where people think because you involved in sport you cannot do well in school.'
The sport minister commended the dedicated teachers who urge their students to compete in sport and academics.
Cudjoe, along with other local sport officials, travelled to Jamaica last month to meet with Jamaica sport officials to learn about their sport programmes.
TT officials visited during the Boys and Girls High School Championships, a meet where youngsters compete at a high level.
At the ceremony on Thursday, Cudjoe said a top Jamaica sports college will visit TT during the July-August holidays.
'GC Foster, which is a sporting college in Jamaica is making their way to TT this July-August to help to train and guide PE (physical education) teachers and administrators and managers so that we can better deliver sport in schools.'
Last month, Cudjoe said her ministry is embarking on a talent search in rural areas to widen the pool of athletes.
She said, 'We are now going to be working to establish a club and get some buy-in from the ones that already exist to do training in rural areas, so that they can have access to a sporting club or some sort of sporting programme."
Cudjoe had called for alumni, corporate TT and community groups to get on board with government and invest in student athletes. Among the benefits of balancing sport and academics is the opportunity to earn scholarships at colleges abroad.
In a 2022 interview with Newsday, Naparima sports manager Percy Samlalsingh said the school's thriving football and cricket programmes were owing to a structured and balanced approach. He was adamant that student athletes must not neglect their studies.
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