– Support the CSEC School Program
The Guyana Golf Association (GGA) and the Nexgen Golf Academy will aim to expand their operations in 2021 with the hopes of building three new courses across the three counties. Over the past week, plans to implement Golf in secondary schools across the country under the aegis of the Related Arts Unit of the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Golf Association began, as the program rolled out in Berbice, Georgetown, Linden and Essequibo.
This prompted Nexgen Global Group of Companies boss Aleem Hussain to announce plans for the third in a series of golf courses his company plans to build this year as it continues to expand the game nationwide. “During the visit to Anna Regina High School to equip and meet with Education officials, we identified the location on the Essequibo Coast and expected that, with the revolutionary design and layout of the course, we could get the facility fully operational before the end. this year, ”said Hussain. “This is in addition to the other two golf facilities we plan to build in Linden and Berbice.”
The Guyana Golf Association’s goal of having as many as 6,000 new players in the coming years is realistic given that Guyana has around 100,000 students in the school system (57,000 in secondary schools alone) and with parental involvement, the game has the potential to reach great heights, thus creating the demand for more play facilities and courses. Hussain said he plans to build at least 8 golf facilities as his unique design for the new golf courses requires less than 15 acres of land, thereby allowing them to be built closer to densely populated areas population. Maintenance costs will be significantly reduced and as a result, the game will be more affordable and accessible to anyone interested in learning and playing golf.
Allied Arts Unit Administrator, Ms Lorraine Barker-King said she was very excited about the fact that Guyana will make history when, for the first time, our children can use Golf as a sport option in PE. and Sport syllabuses for CSEC and CAPE. “This opens up a world of opportunity for our children, especially in light of the impact COVID has had on sport, and Mr Fraser is showing excellent initiative in ensuring we offer viable alternatives for them in sport. This partnership with Mr. Hussain and the Guyana Golf Association are definitely one that will change the way our country views the sport and we will do everything possible to ensure its success. “said Ms Barker-King.
The current pilot program will see six schools, selected by the Ministry of Education, begin teaching Golf immediately. Those schools are Anna Regina High School; Richard Ishmael Secondary; Queen’s College; President’s College; Berbice Educational Institute, and Wisburg High School. In August, the remaining CSEC schools will roll out the program nationally to ensure that as many students as possible have the opportunity to learn the game. The aim is to train the physical education (PE) teachers of these schools to become golf golf master instructors in all other schools.
Nicholas Fraser, head of the PE Related Arts Unit, and an MBA holder, who specializes in Sports Management and is no stranger to implementing new programs, having held many senior positions, including the position of Assistant Director Sport at the National Sports Commission said, among others, “golf has the potential to become a dominant sport in the school program based on the response of teachers and students to date and, the fact, that it is compliant with 19-covid. Many activities are planned for the school golf program with competitions for the inter-classroom, inter-school, inter-regional and national championship scheduled for 2021. ”
Hussain, despite the personal challenges he faced many years ago, has been the driving force behind the development of golf in Guyana and has proven that adversity brings out the best in everyone, especially when one has the desire to succeed. The President of Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy is also considered one of the country’s top golf players. He has performed well in tournaments in Barbados, Trinidad, Suriname and Costa Rica and aims to use his skills and determination to ensure that a national team is created to take part in international events leading up to the Olympic Games.
So far, everyone, from the CEO of Education to the District Class Education Officers, headteachers, physical education teachers and, in particular, the students have responded well to the inclusion of the sport in the schools as seen in the smiles and responses from Wisburg High School Deputy principal Cordel Sealey; head mistress, Ms Micheal; Anna Regina High School Principal, Laljeet Ruplall; and deputy head, Raghunaught Doodnaught; District Two Regional Education Officer Nichola Matthews; a
District Two Area Education Officer (in charge of Secondary schools), Deodat Singh, when they met Hussain and Fraser during the induction process.