GTTA pushing against the odds

– Kwakwani able to complete PE Moderation Session

With a national emergency being declared by His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali due to the widespread flooding across Guyana, the Secondary students of Kwakwani have been able to continue their preparation for their CSEC examination.

In Kwakwani, one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding, CSEC students were able to complete their Physical Education Moderation Session in table tennis. This was made possible by the Ministry of Education partnering with the GTTA. The GTTA continues to benefit from the MOU with the People’s Republic of China for the supply of equipment and expertise, which started in 2019 with a donation of tables to 50 schools.

In an interview with this publication, GTTA President Godfrey Munroe said, when asked his view on making things possible for the students of Kwakwani, “It is great to see so many students undertaking and playing the sport, considering the recent flooding in the Kwakwani area. We are happy to provide the seeds to catalyse the sport in the region. The pandemic would have force students who normally undertake or participate in other sports discipline to gravitate to table tennis, given its minimal, noncontact and adaptive nature to COVID- 19 protocols. Kwakwani is a hub for sporting talent, and we are happy to be able to make inputs there. The plan now is to sustain and advance this momentum, as it shows what can occur when conditions are right, facilities, and human resource support systems are in place. This follows on our key strategic objective of creating equity access as we embark on mass participation model.”
Guyana and the people of China have always enjoyed extensive exchanges in table tennis. As early as 1973, the Guyana table tennis team visited China and participated in the Asian, African and Latin American Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament held in Beijing. Over the past few decades, China has sent several table tennis coaches to Guyana to help in the development of table tennis here.