by Emmanuel H. Joseph
Government Information Service
The Government of Venezuela, through its local embassy here in Dominica, on Thursday, March 5, 2009 officially handed over the completed hard court to staff and students of the Portsmouth Secondary School. The hard court was constructed by the 6th group of military engineers stationed here to upgrade the Melville Hall Airport during the period August 2007 to May 2008.
Students playing on new hard court
Funding for the materials for the project was provided by the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs. The court is designed for basketball, volleyball and tennis with future plans to cater for netball.
In her brief remarks, Her Excellency Carmen Martinez de Grijalva, Venezuela’s Ambassador to Dominica, urged the students to take care of the facility and expressed how pleased her Government and people were to assist.
“As Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, it is a pleasure to be here this morning with you all. I present this modest contribution which will be for you and the future of other students who will attend the Portsmouth Secondary School as a goodwill gesture from the people and Government of Venezuela, especially our President, Hugo Chavez. We do believe education is the key but sports do play an important role in your education. You all here today represent the future of this beautiful and wonderful country. It gives me pleasure, therefore, as Ambassador of Venezuela, to present to you this modern facility. It is your responsibility then to maintain it in a very good condition.”
Hon. Minister for Education, Human
Resource Development, Youth
Affairs and Sports, Senator Sonia
Williams receiving keys to the
hard court from Her Excellency
Carmen Martinez de Grijalva,
Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela to Dominica
Ambassador Grijalva went on to point out how much sports can play a vital role in moulding the students into positive individuals inclusive of fostering friendship during and after play, promoting and instilling discipline and respect in them, building leadership skills and helping students inculcate coping skills necessary to help them develop into caring individuals.
Hon. Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, Senator Sonia Williams, exhorted the students to take care of the facility stressing that it belongs to the students of the Portsmouth Secondary School.
The Government of Venezuela has contributed significantly to Dominica’s economic development in various fields including housing, infrastructural development and housing for the past several years. |
