KINGSTON, Jamaica (April 20) – Jamaican high schools that have recruited overseas students for their sports teams are facing a major setback following the implementation of new regulations by the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA).
The recent announcement states that ISSA has put a limit on the number of foreign nationals that are permitted to participate in their sports competitions. The quota system, similar to the existing policy for transfer students, was voted on by principals in January, as confirmed by ISSA President Keith Wellington.
Nonetheless, there are exemptions for certain individuals, including Jamaican national children returning to the country, members of the diplomatic corps, and international students below the age of 16.
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“Well, at the last general meeting of principals in January, principals voted to apply the quota rule to all foreign nationals coming to Jamaica and enrolling in schools after the age of 16,” said Wellington in a statement.
“Therefore, it means effective [this coming] September for all ISSA competitions, the quota system will be applied to students who are enrolled from abroad and who are foreign nationals and would have already attained the age of 16 when they started school in Jamaica. It also means that if a foreign national was enrolled in a school in Jamaica before the age of 16, the quota rule would not apply to them.”
