DepEd Sec lauds Leyte Sports Academy project

By Provincial Media Relations Center
February 20, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Education Secretary Armin Luistro lauded Leyte province’s sports-academic program at the Leyte Sports Academy saying it is an “excellent” program which other local government unit can replicate.

Sec. Luistro, who was among of the four cabinet secretaries in attendance during the Regional Development Council Meeting, made a side trip to the Leyte Sports Academy at the Leyte Sports Development Center to personally see the facility that has produced athletes who have earned a number of medals during the recent regional sports fete.

Sec. Luistro was showed around the facility and personally briefed by Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla of the five-months old sports-academic program which was initiated by the provincial government of Leyte to offer high-caliber training to young individuals in the fields of swimming, athletics and boxing as well as provide them with quality education.

Describing the program to be “excellent”, Sec. Luistro said the program is a bit similar, in principle, to the sports program of the Chinese government which have produced great swimmers and other athletes in the world.

“In principle, this program is a bit similar and I hope it will produce the same effect as it did in China,” Sec.  Luistro told the governor.

The education secretary otherwise wanted assurance that the athlete are getting the academic part of the scholarship in accordance with the curriculum provided in public elementary and high schools.

DepEd-8 Regional Director Felicidad Saet assured the scholars are being given the tight academic learning similar to that of a regular student in a public school.

The pool of athletes who are full scholars of the province now numbers to 42. They have been undergoing rigid sports trainings under professional trainers and coaches and at the same time completing their school studies supervised by the DepEd Leyte.

Rooms and other areas at the Leyte Sports Development Center have been converted into a dormitory, kitchen, mini gym and other necessary facilities for these athlete-scholars while the rest of the facilities of the Grandstand such as the oval track and swimming pool are made available for their everyday training.