-annnounces GYD$1M prize for upcoming Science Fair

By Clifton Ross
MINISTER of Sports, Charles Ramson Jr. along with Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, praised the 900-plus students who are now full-fledged swimmers, following Sunday’s closing ceremony of arguably one of the largest swimming programmes to date.

The National Aquatic Centre, situated at Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara, hosted a large number of students and parents who attended the month-long programme which ended yesterday.
Guest Speakers Minister Ramson; Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, and Assistant Director of Sport Melissa Dow-Richardson, representing the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the National Sports Commission(NSC), respectively, were elated to see hundreds of new swimmers being produced in a matter of weeks.

Minister Ramson, during his feature address, outlined numerous areas of focus going forward, most notably speaking on the importance of Science, Business and Technology, with regard to the future of the generation and their success outside of sports.

“Parents responsibility to guide their children”, was among the most notable points the Minister spoke on, as he added that such a journey requires growth.
He added that because most kids entered the programme not knowing how to swim, now weeks later almost 1000 new swimmers were produced, minus any hurdles during the stint of the countrywide clinic.

The Minister advocated for a good working relationship among kids, parents, communities, the government and private sectors, citing such values as key components in the continued growth of the country’s youth.
He further urged parents to commit more to children as he has been seeing, as the world of work is changing rapidly and as such adaptability is needed in the building on the journey of success; something which is found specifically in sports.

With the upcoming National Science fair set for August 27 and 28 at the Aquatic Centre and a whopping GYD $1M Dollar cash prize up for grabs, Minister Ramson hinted that the Science Fair will be an annual event.
Regarding the future, the Minister pointed out that French Guiana and Suriname will be involved in the upcoming Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) which runs from November 25, 26 and 27.

Also, a special Youth mentorship programme is set to be launched in a few weeks, with the workshops providing skills and life advice for students, according to Ramson.
Meanwhile, Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) president Dwayne Scott thanked the Minister and the Government of Guyana for their continued support of aquatic sports in Guyana.

Scott further credited the coaches for their time, adding that swimming is a life skill and will come in handy at the upcoming IGG, where they could find themselves as representatives.
Meanwhile, Dow-Richardson, during her remarks, said she was happy to see young children and parents coming out in support of the programme.
Ninvalle echoed similar sentiments but specifically thanked the coaches and students for making the programme incident free and highly successful.