KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has announced that it will be offering a teaching course to ensure student-athletes are better equipped to go the distance in the subject of Mathematics through the continuation of their Stamina Education Series.

The sessions, which are free of cost, will commence on Monday, July 5, 2021 and will be done face-to-face in groups of eight students spread over different days. 

Registration has already begun with students from a number of high schools across Kingston and St Andrew covering grade levels seven to 10. Other student athletes who are interested in participating in the math tutoring sessions are being asked to send their information to @registration.joa.org.jm.

Novelette Harris, Member Relations Manager, JOA, said the series is intended to help students cover ground and bridge gaps for lost educational classroom opportunities created by the pandemic; and strengthen ‘competences’ among sporting individuals.

“The Stamina Education Series was introduced as a platform for delivering educational and training programmes to help strengthen competencies and build capacities among our sport professionals,” said Harris.

“The restrictions caused by the current pandemic has impacted some students’ education in a significant way and so we saw the need to assist in bridging the gap through this math tutoring segment as a first step in helping our youngsters,” she added.

This initiative adds to an array of programmes launched by the JOA – the island’s governing body for sport – to strengthen the educational portfolio of persons involved in all facets of the sporting landscape.

Only recently, the JOA activated its tripartite Protocol of Cooperation with the Jamaica Paralympic Association and United States Sports Academy for studies straight through to PhD level, the JOA Scholarship Programme, JOA Internship Programme, CGF eqUIP Internship and the 10-year historic Memorandum of Strategic Alliance with World Eleven Inc./Argentina Football Association (AFA), which will provide advantages offered by the AFA’s Technology Institute for the benefit of football in Jamaica.

Yvonne Kong, a JOA director and a lecturer in the programme, noted the critical role of mathematics in everyday reasoning and logic, noting that the subject if easier than often imagined as long as one grasps the basic principles.

“Mathematics is fundamental to our lives and studies. To some, the subject can seem difficult because they never had enough time to grasp the basic concepts,” Kong pointed out.

“We hope to use these sessions to get our young athletes to strengthen any shaky foundation that they may have and see the importance of mathematics in their daily lives,” added Kong.