Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 31, 2020 (SKNIS): Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Jonel Powel, says sporting activities in schools will be resuming in a strategic and targeted manner.
The minister highlighted this during his exclusive interview with SKNIS on August 28 where he explained that “within the Department of Sport we have put together a task force which is working with all the national associations and sporting disciplines to ensure that there are certain protocols in place specific to each discipline to allow for the resumption of those sports.”
He further highlighted that the task force includes a representative from the Ministry of Education who is charged with overseeing the resumption of school sporting activities in light of the protocols established.
“When we start the football competitions again, the task force will advise the schools on what they need to do and how they carry out the football competition,” said Minister Powell.
“As far as possible, we at the Ministry of Education with the help of the Department of Sport, will ensure that even within the school system, we have the necessary protocols in place even when it’s not competitive,” said Minister Powel.
Also, he said that physical education (PE) will be reinstituted in schools.
He outlined that “PE is usually done in the fresh air which is the best thing for the kid. Exercise is one of the things that keeps the body healthy and in a better position to fight off not just the coronavirus but any other viruses, so we want to encourage that.”
Minister Powel also said that physical education is one of the pillars of the Federation’s education system and curriculum and that he and his ministry encourage it.