…Kiddy Cricket handbook to be incorporated into schools’ curriculum
Story and Photos by Jemima Holmes
In a matter of weeks, students from more than 215 primary schools across Guyana will have opportunity to display their cricketing skills when the Guyana Cricket Board/Cricket West Indies (GCB/CWI) 2019 Kiddy Cricket competition commences on October 14.
GCB Treasurer, Anand Kalladeen
The launching of this tournament at an event hosted at the GCB office on Regent Road was also used to unveil the CWI Academic Handbooks, which cater to students and coaches and incorporate the basics of cricket into the core subjects that are taught in schools, namely Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies and Science.
Speaking on the upcoming Kiddy tournament, GCB treasurer Anand Kalladeen detail some of the physical aspects that the game can enhance in young children.
“The competition seeks to build on our past efforts and stimulate interest in the game among primary school students, while simultaneously helping them to develop their motor skills, flexibility, agility and cardiovascular fitness,” Kalladeen said.
He took opportunity to praise the Education Ministry for jumping on board with circulation of the CWI Academic handbook, which it is expected would be used in schools.
“The GCB/CWI applaud the Ministry of Education for embracing the initiative to have cricket-related materials used in classrooms as a supplemental to their curriculum materials,” he declared.
On behalf of the Education Ministry, Allied Arts Administrator Lorraine Barker King spoke to the quality of the handbook, put together with effort from UNICEF, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and CWI.
“It’s a good tool in the sense that we see the integration. That is, we have all the core subjects: maths, science and social studies, and these are being done through the medium of cricket. So children can see the whole progression, because we do not like to teach things in isolation. At least we are able to see everything coming out, so our children will be able to understand the core subjects and the game of cricket,” Barker-King explained.
Meanwhile, Child Care and Protection Agency’s Orette Francois applauded the GCB, CWI, and Education Ministry for creating a safe spec in which children can learn the sport.
“The CCPA applauds the Guyana Cricket Board, Cricket West Indies and their partners for their continued investment in youth, especially in seeking to ensure that cricket is taught to children in a manner that is free from abuse,” Francois said.
Like Ms. Barker-King, National Sports Commission’s Technical Development Officer Seon Erskine highlighted the quality of the handbook and challenged other sporting disciplines to emulate the production.
“As a living testimony of sport and what sport can do for your career, I’m saying these young ones are on the right part to developing, even if it’s just this one sport for now. And we’re truly hoping that other sports would take on this role and try to have their discipline being engulfed into a package like this,” he urged.
Four hundred of these academic manuals will be distributed to Guyanese schools, and will be used not only to teach the game, but also as an aid for the cricket aspect of the CSEC syllabus.
In preparation for the Kiddy Cricket tournament, 20 Kiddies kits were presented to the Allied Arts Department, while the schools which were present at the event received kits as well.
