The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) launched the National Schools Table Tennis Programme yesterday by donating 22 brand new tennis tables to 22 schools in various administrative regions across Guyana.
Many high ranking officials, including Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, President of the GTTA, Henry Greene, Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh , Director of Sports, Conrad Plummer, Godfrey Munroe and Neil Kumar were present at the launching and handing over ceremony, along with students and officials representing the recipients.
Dr. Anthony, in his feature address, said the programme was in cohesion with two main components of the MCYS’s sports policy, which will soon be launched and entails the development of sports in communities and schools.
It is also aimed at promoting the game of table tennis in Guyana’s schools and developing the sport countrywide.
“This particular programme isn’t going to end today with the distribution of the boards… we have undertaken for the next two years to get more table tennis boards in the school system… we want to ensure we expand table tennis in schools,” said Dr. Anthony.
“What you have to do is care the boards, but don’t care it by locking it in a room, we expect you to use them… we often give equipment to clubs and schools and they lock them away where many students can’t access them, we want to change the culture of locking away and have kids utilizing them,” he added.
Dr. Anthony also said that starting from this year, the MCYS will have special awards for the best performing primary and best secondary schools in sport.
These awards will be tied to the National Sports Awards programme to recognize schools that are performing in sports. The selected schools will receive a plaque and $500,000.
“We [MCYS] will work hard with the Ministry of Education to ensure the success of the programme over the next couple of years to ensure a good functioning programme of table tennis in schools,” said Dr. Anthony.
Greene, in his address, pinpointed the many opportunities available for local youths who wished to get involved in the sport, noting overseas tournaments such as the Cadet tournament.
“There are opportunities for you young people in table tennis… we feel that the young people need to live productive lives and keep away from crime and drugs, what better way to keep them away than sports, especially table tennis.
“Our thrust in the GTTA is to promote table tennis at various levels and we will not stop because we want to develop and encourage the sport in our country,” Greene said.
Kumar, who also spoke to the gathering of students and officials, said the programme which they are undertaking was geared towards the implementation of sports in schools and “to bring table tennis back to its glory days.”
Minister of Education Baksh also expressed his delight with the donation of the tables to the schools.
“I’m glad we’re promoting table tennis in schools because we have other sports programmes and this will help to promote Physical Education in the school system.
“We want you to come out not only with academic achievements, we also want you to come out of the education system well rounded,” Baksh added whilst calling for the distribution of tables in Regions Eight and Nine.
Tables were provided for schools in all regions except Eight and Nine, but according to Dr. Anthony, they will table tennis boards will be distributed to all 10 administrative regions in the country very soon.
