Minister of Education Shawn Edward spoke to St Lucia Times as he witnessed athletes in action at the Inter-District Primary Schools Athletics Championship. Here’s what he had to say:
On the championship
“It is very important to create opportunities like this so that young students can come out and showcase their talent. We believe in the holistic development of the child, and quite apart from what happens within the confines of the classroom, it is necessary and important to ensure that children are given opportunities where their sporting talents and other aspects of their development can come to the fore.”
On the athletes
“From what I have seen, I am extremely confident about the future of track and field, the future of sports in our country. It is our sincere desire as an administration to continue to put money into programmes to continue to improve sporting infrastructure at the community level. And all of that put together will definitely result in the creation of that sports culture that we have been craving for some time.”
On parents
“What I would love to see is more parents coming out to support their children…. When a sports meet of this magnitude is organised, it is very important and very necessary for parents to come out and support.”
On the sports minister
“I must commend Minister Kenson Casimir (Youth Development and Sport) for the stewardship he has provided to the youth and sports fraternity generally, and also the profile given to school sports in particular. We saw what happened here a few weeks ago when we had the Island Champs. And I think closely behind the Island Champs, both in terms of competition and organisation, the primary school sports meet is becoming a staple.”
