WITH at least six overseas universities courting young Jamaican track star Usain Bolt, Public Defender Howard Hamilton has urged the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) to ensure that the 16 year-old gets a solid tertiary education.

“It is the responsibility of the JAAA to ensure that this new-found treasure receives… nurturing and protection — history will judge them harshly if they fail,” Hamilton said in a letter to the editor of the Observer.

Describing the Trelawny teen as “the most phenomenal sprinter ever produced by the island”, the public defender said Bolt must be made aware of the importance of education.

“He must be made to realise that there will be life after track and his education must be an integral part of his development,” Hamilton said in his letter.

In a later interview with the Observer, the public defender explained that his primary purpose for writing the letter was the fate that had befallen the island’s former teen track star, Roy Martin.

“My main reason for writing this letter is when I asked what happened to Roy Martin nobody had heard anything about him…. he faded,” he said. ” I don’t want that to happen to Usain Bolt.”

According to Hamilton, a colleague told him choosing the right institution is key. “My good friend Peter “Skelly” Green, himself an outstanding school boy athlete, advised him that Bolt’s choice of university is going to be critical because there are those which nurture and protect their athletes, and there are those to whom winning at any cost is everything,” he said.

The public defender added that Green had recommended Texas Christian University, the University of Arkansas or Baylor University.

On Thursday, Bolt, the world 200-metre youth champion, told the Observer that approximately six universities from abroad — including universities from Iowa, Texas and Alabama — had contacted him. However, he said he was unsure whether he would be accepting any of their offers in the future. For now, he is focused on going into sixth form in September.

Meanwhile, Hamilton said he will be satisfied with whatever institution the JAAA chooses for Bolt, as long as they give the teen some guidance.

“I am going to leave it to the JAAA to decide as to how his higher education will take place,” Hamilton said. “Whatever they decide is cool with me as long as they have a hands-on involvement in his development.”

Meanwhile, Patrick Anderson, president for the JAAA, intimated that the teen would be looking at local schools when the time comes to enter university.

“His mentor knows that he can do it right here in Jamaica; we have universities such as the University of the West Indies and University of Technology,” he said, adding that there are also excellent coaches in the island.

“We have some of the best set of coaches in the world right here in Jamaica,” Anderson said.

But while Hamilton agrees that Jamaica has good programmes, he does not think Bolt will get the kind of worldwide exposure he deserves.

“GC Foster College, (for example), has a good programme; but I don’t know if it will give him the exposure that he needs,” Hamilton said.

But he agreed with Anderson that Bolt is still young, and has ample time to decide which university he wants to attend.