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Willi...it look like Ronnie neva get di memo fram Jawges Old Guy Assn.. Unnu facing one Termite Inquisition it seems 
Vulgar! Ronnie Vows To Halt Schoolers' Transfer Market - Will Seek Parliament's Intervention
Published: Monday | November 26, 2012 0 Comments
Daraine Luton, SportGlobe Writer
This story was first published in SportGlobe, a weekly publication printed by Selectco Publications Ltd.
Describing as vulgar, the practice of schools shopping for players to bring football glory to their institutions, Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites intends to bring the matter to the attention of Parliament by year-end.
In a SportGlobe exclusive from Parliament on Tuesday, November 20, Thwaites told SportGlobe he is to inform the Portia Simpson Miller-chaired Cabinet of his concerns within short order.
Thwaites said he will be taking a submission to Cabinet and, if Cabinet accepts his proposal, he will lay a ministry paper in Parliament to signal his intent to stamp out the practice.
"The net effect is to weaken schools that are probably already weak and would go entirely against the policy that I have set out, which is that you must grow where you are planted," Thwaites said.
"On the surface of it, I believe, it needs a lot of consideration. I have received a paper, at my invitation, from those who are against the practice, Dr (Lascelve) Graham and others, and I am convening a meeting with ISSA (Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association) to hear their side of it, after which I will consult Cabinet and, hopefully, eventually lay the matter before Parliament for their and public consideration," the minister added.
Thwaites is an old boy of Manning Cup champions St George's College, which have on its current team at least seven players who were recruited specifically for football purposes,
with at least two players having attended three schools in no less than six years.
The Neville 'Bertis' Bell-coached St George's has used the system to its benefit, reaching four of the last five Manning Cup finals, including Saturday's victory against first-time finalists Hydel, and winning four titles in the process.
In another much-publicised case, Wolmer's Boys, touted as pre-season favourites before they were knocked out by St George's, had three players transferred from Kingston College for the new season.
The Kingston College trio was joined by others from Jamaica College and Excelsior whose coach, Leebert Halliman, in an interview earlier this season, made reference to having "lost players in the transfer market".
disgraceful
The fiasco has led to pundits referring to St George's College as 'STGC FC' and Wolmer's Boys as 'Wolmer's United'.
Thwaites confirmed that he was aware of the nicknames.
"I have and, to the extent that that expression betrays the truth, it is disgraceful," the minister said.
"Many of the schools the students are 'bought' from are trying to find their feet in the ISSA competitions and it is unfortunate when their best talent is lured to other places," he said.
There are reports of a Clarendon school giving cash and a microwave to the parents of student athletes for them to agree to transfers. In other instances, parents are being given taxis to operate to facilitate transfers.
Recently, a player, while being congratulated by the principal of a Corporate Area high school, held up her hand and reportedly asked, "Miss, yuh nuh waah buy me?"
Directly addressing schools and sports adminstrators, Thwaites said they should spend their efforts and their best earnest to "help those who are already in your school to improve their talents and put forward the best team with a healthy competitive spirit".
"Teach them how to win, and to lose also, in good spirits," said the education minister, adding that schools must seek to "encourage human developments rather than necessarily success in every competition".
"The purpose of schools is to encourage healthy competition and academic achievements. It seems to me that this runs entirely contrary to the most important objective," he said of the practice of buying players.
ISSA, as part of a safeguard to clamp down on the buying of student athletes, has mandated that persons sit out a year from competition upon being transferred.
However, this does not apply in the case where student athletes move from one school to sixth form at another institution.
SportGlobe probes have revealed that many schools exploit the sixth-form window, often admitting student athletes with low academic records to their institutions with a view to building teams.
It is a practice Thwaites is also aware of and said he would support the application of the sit-out rule all the way up to the sixth-form level in order to prevent "the worse commercialisation of the practice".
Vulgar! Ronnie Vows To Halt Schoolers' Transfer Market - Will Seek Parliament's Intervention
Published: Monday | November 26, 2012 0 Comments
Daraine Luton, SportGlobe Writer
This story was first published in SportGlobe, a weekly publication printed by Selectco Publications Ltd.
Describing as vulgar, the practice of schools shopping for players to bring football glory to their institutions, Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites intends to bring the matter to the attention of Parliament by year-end.
In a SportGlobe exclusive from Parliament on Tuesday, November 20, Thwaites told SportGlobe he is to inform the Portia Simpson Miller-chaired Cabinet of his concerns within short order.
Thwaites said he will be taking a submission to Cabinet and, if Cabinet accepts his proposal, he will lay a ministry paper in Parliament to signal his intent to stamp out the practice.
"The net effect is to weaken schools that are probably already weak and would go entirely against the policy that I have set out, which is that you must grow where you are planted," Thwaites said.
"On the surface of it, I believe, it needs a lot of consideration. I have received a paper, at my invitation, from those who are against the practice, Dr (Lascelve) Graham and others, and I am convening a meeting with ISSA (Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association) to hear their side of it, after which I will consult Cabinet and, hopefully, eventually lay the matter before Parliament for their and public consideration," the minister added.
Thwaites is an old boy of Manning Cup champions St George's College, which have on its current team at least seven players who were recruited specifically for football purposes,
with at least two players having attended three schools in no less than six years.The Neville 'Bertis' Bell-coached St George's has used the system to its benefit, reaching four of the last five Manning Cup finals, including Saturday's victory against first-time finalists Hydel, and winning four titles in the process.
In another much-publicised case, Wolmer's Boys, touted as pre-season favourites before they were knocked out by St George's, had three players transferred from Kingston College for the new season.
The Kingston College trio was joined by others from Jamaica College and Excelsior whose coach, Leebert Halliman, in an interview earlier this season, made reference to having "lost players in the transfer market".
disgraceful
The fiasco has led to pundits referring to St George's College as 'STGC FC' and Wolmer's Boys as 'Wolmer's United'.
Thwaites confirmed that he was aware of the nicknames.
"I have and, to the extent that that expression betrays the truth, it is disgraceful," the minister said.
"Many of the schools the students are 'bought' from are trying to find their feet in the ISSA competitions and it is unfortunate when their best talent is lured to other places," he said.
There are reports of a Clarendon school giving cash and a microwave to the parents of student athletes for them to agree to transfers. In other instances, parents are being given taxis to operate to facilitate transfers.
Recently, a player, while being congratulated by the principal of a Corporate Area high school, held up her hand and reportedly asked, "Miss, yuh nuh waah buy me?"
Directly addressing schools and sports adminstrators, Thwaites said they should spend their efforts and their best earnest to "help those who are already in your school to improve their talents and put forward the best team with a healthy competitive spirit".
"Teach them how to win, and to lose also, in good spirits," said the education minister, adding that schools must seek to "encourage human developments rather than necessarily success in every competition".
"The purpose of schools is to encourage healthy competition and academic achievements. It seems to me that this runs entirely contrary to the most important objective," he said of the practice of buying players.
ISSA, as part of a safeguard to clamp down on the buying of student athletes, has mandated that persons sit out a year from competition upon being transferred.
However, this does not apply in the case where student athletes move from one school to sixth form at another institution.
SportGlobe probes have revealed that many schools exploit the sixth-form window, often admitting student athletes with low academic records to their institutions with a view to building teams.
It is a practice Thwaites is also aware of and said he would support the application of the sit-out rule all the way up to the sixth-form level in order to prevent "the worse commercialisation of the practice".
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