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State Minister Highlights Importance of Sport in Schools

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JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says physical education is a very important part of the curriculum in schools and will be strengthened through public- and private-sector partnership.

 

Addressing a press conference to kick off a partnership between Sandals Resorts International, through its Beaches Resorts brand, and the Real Madrid Foundation out of Spain at Beaches Negril in Westmoreland on June 6, Mr. Green said the power of sports should never be underestimated, “which has helped to foster unity” across every spectrum in society.

 

“We across the education system have long recognised the power of sports. We have also recognised the great role that sports play in education, and which is why for a very long time in Jamaica, we always have a mandatory physical-education programme from the primary up to the secondary schools,” the State Minister said.

 

Mr. Green said the Ministry has also been busy trying to figure out “how we can strengthen our physical-education programmes,” adding that forming partnerships such as the one between Sandals and the Real Madrid Foundation “is a step in the right direction”.

 

The State Minister further noted that sports also help to create opportunities, and that many of Jamaica’s athletes have made it on the world stage based on the sporting programmes “in our schools”.

 

Sandals Resorts International and the Real Madrid Foundation are collaborating on a series of soccer clinics at Beaches Resorts slated for 2019.

 

Hosted in partnership with the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, this world-class educational and training programme will take place over two separate five-day periods, the first being in Negril from May 14-20, 2019 and the second at Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, from May 22-28, 2019.

 

Each training session will feature immersive instruction and sport value sessions by the Real Madrid Foundation coaches.

 

For his part, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart, said that partnering with the Real Madrid Foundation presents “a unique opportunity for us to bring local Caribbean children together with guests of the resorts, over the most popular sport in the world – soccer”.

 

“Our work with the Sandals Foundation aims to improve the communities of the Caribbean, and this partnership is an exciting way for us to continue these efforts and facilitate bonds between visitors and locals alike,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green.