Does NTRC believe persons over 35 can’t contribute to technological world?

EDITOR: Even before the deadline for the technologically-based i2 competition organized by the NTRC closed on September 27, it was already too late for anyone 36 years of age or older to submit a presentation for the competition. In fact, the NTRC, obviously run by persons who are 35, have decreed that no one above 35 has anything to contribute to the technological world. Thomas Edison is lucky that he is not now 36, living in St. Vincent and depending on the NTRC for his breakout. So too is Morgan Freeman, he would never see his first real success in acting if these “YOUNG” people at NTRC had anything to do with it. Take a look at the Nobel Peace Prize winners and see their ages. Oh yes, someone will counter that the peace prize is a lifetime award that rewards people after years and years in particular fields. But many of them won smaller competitions similar to i2.on their way up and often they had gone past their 30s.

Let me be personal. Suppose after passing IT at CSEC in 2002 (in my 30s at that!), I had gone deeper into coding and was now at a point where I felt I could take on the exposure of a contest now that the age of the APPS has arrived. Would it be fair that I am treated with discrimination by this bunch of ‘YOUNGSTERS?’ So what happened to the concept of lifetime learning and achievement? Is this how we encourage people to enroll in adult and continuing education? Why do we still have a separate department in the education system that urges older people to go to class to learn new things, including IT, if this is the way they are going to be trashed?

In countries where fairness is valued, someone, maybe me, would have legally challenged these “YOUNGSTERS” for discriminating against us on the basis of age in a setting where age ought not/CANNOT be an impediment. However, this is St. Vincent and NTRC is a statutory/government body. To challenge them/it could result in one having a judgement in his/her favour appealed until his finances can no longer stand, or until his victory makes no sense.

An open catagory should be an open category as the label suggests. Either that or go full circle and let the competition be a young people only contest.
Respectfully yours

Lariston Antoine