PE teachers get coaching boost

Thirty-two physical education teachers and coaches are now better equipped to carry out that role after completing the Caribbean Coaching and Certification Program.

Speaking during Tuesday’s graduation ceremony at the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), President Sandra Osbourne thanked officials at the Erdiston Teacher’s Training College for partnering with them and helping to “build the next generation of young people.”

She described the relationship between sports and education as symbiotic.

“It speaks to the very essence of who we are and our commitment to upholding the philosophy of Olympism. This is a philosophy of life.

Olympism blends sport with culture and education, so our work is about placing sport at the service of the harmonious development of all people,” Osbourne said.

Osbourne said she had high hopes for the group of participants.

“The numbers tell a compelling story; 22 males and 10 females in what we hope is the first of many cohorts from the teaching profession, following on the heels of 120 coaches who graduated last month under the National Coaching certification Program and this Caribbean coaching certification Program,” she said.

Principal of Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Dr Colin Cumberbatch described the occasion as a proud one.

“For the graduates, this certification shows your commitment, your discipline and your determination to grow into highly skilled and impactful physical education teachers, who will help shape the future of young minds.

“We cannot overstate the profound responsibility you carry in today’s sporting environment. You are the guardians of fair play, of clean sport, and an environment free from harm and abuse,” Cumberbatch said.

“So my simple call to our graduates is to treat this coaching certification earned tonight not as an endpoint, but as a stepping stone towards the kind of intervention that transforms lives, whether you work in schools, at the elite sporting level, in community programs, or on the regional and international stages.

“The true impact of what you have learned will come from your commitment, your integrity, and your willingness to apply and share the knowledge and values you have gained,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the graduating class, Renaldo Gilkes said the experience was an eye opener.

“As American businessman Henry Ford said, anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The Caribbean Coaching Certification Program has been a refreshing experience. 

“Much of my coaching education knowledge has occurred from attending sports specific courses, which in my case is football, but the Caribbean Coaching Certification Program provided a platform broad enough to cover all sports,” Gilkes said.

He said he believed the course could assist in breaking down stereotypes.

“Physical education, although well recognised, still holds a secondary position in the eyes of many in our society. We’ll soon change that narrative and physical education will be seen as the beacon for educational transformation and the elevation of our society.

“There’s a Chinese proverb which says, if you are planning for a year, sow rice. If you are planning for a decade, plant trees. If you are planning for a lifetime, educate the people,” Gilkes said.

(KH)