THE Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites has reaffirmed his stance against the “buying” of student athletes for the greater glory of schools.

In a first move to address the matter, the minister revealed that in a few days his office and that of Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) will be releasing a joint statement.

Thwaites told the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that he has had positive dialogues with ISSA and they both agreed on the way forward.

“School is for learning. Sports are vitally important, but not to subsume and make triumphant over a performance in the basic subjects,” Thwaites reiterated.

“We met several times and I would think conclusively with ISSA, and I am glad to say that the leadership of ISSA agrees with the position that the Ministry of Education would like to see. We have agreed that there will be a joint statement from the Ministry and ISSA at the end of this month,” he revealed.

Over the years, the issue of transfers for sporting glory has triggered differing views, and in 2012, Minister Thwaites had promised to take the matter to Cabinet in what he described then as “vulgar” the practice of schools shopping for players to bring football glory to their institutions.

Thwaites said he would have taken a submission to Cabinet and, if accepted, he will lay a ministry paper in Parliament to signal his intent to stamp out the practice.

ISSA rules stipulate that in order to compete in the sporting events, students in first through fifth form must obtain a minimum 45 per cent grade in at least four subjects and attend no less than 80 per cent of their classes. Those in sixth form must have passed four CXC subjects, earning grades between one and three.

“I will start with a report that’s just come from a school in western Jamaica. The old boys’ association had written to me telling me a story of a particular young person, talented sportsperson, who has been bought by another school,” said Thwaites.

“Some persons in that school had trumpeted what a wonderful thing it is to give students the opportunities,” he added.

The school Thwaites appeared to be referring to is Manning Cup champion Jamaica College, which came out defending their stance on transfers, citing that they are providing better opportunities for student athletes.

“It’s wrong. That’s not what school is about. We have been deliberate, some would say dilatory, in terms of coming out with a policy in this matter,” said Thwaites, who is a past student of St George’s College, which came under scrutiny during their run of successes in the Manning Cup.

“Dilatory, because I didn’t think it was for the Ministry of Education really to have anything to do with this. It should have been the organsations of the schools who would have dealt with the obvious issues that are there,” said Thwaites, the 1968 Rhodes Scholar.