Education is the greatest investment that a modern parent can endow in children’s lives. So important education is that it is included in the United Nations Millennium development goals set to provide a better future to everyone globally.
Millenium Development goal 2 seeks to “achieve universal primary school education”.
It is in this line that Kenya’s athletics governing body Athletics Kenya (AK) under the leadership of chairman Isaiah Kiplagat has set Education as the association’s 2012 Theme.
According to Kiplagat, the association has taken the responsibility to popularize the importance of education to the parents whose children are called up for national duty in order to take part in the junior championships and/or the youth athletics championships. This is to ensure the athletes in Kenya are all round both on the tracks and in class.
Out of the statistics collected in 2011, the junior athletes that were selected to represent the country in the youth athletics championships held in Lille, France as well as the junior athletics championship in Australia and were class 8 candidates performed way below average with the highest scoring a maximum of 290 marks out a possible 500.
“It so saddening that after realizing their athletic talent, many of the young and upcoming runners are not taking their education seriously a move that has led to the poor performance registered in last year’s KCPE by our athletes.” Said Kiplagat.
Throughout the year 2012, the association is set to be focusing on sensitizing athletes and parents more about the importance of education.
To attain their set targets, Kiplagat revealed that AK will not select candidates to take part in any national athletic activity in a bid to give students more time to concentrate on their national exams and schoolwork.
“Parents to these children should value education first and should help us in giving priority to it. These way we can help secure a better future for these children in a wholesome way. They can later balance between their career and talent.” he urged.
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