An educational program aimed at esports will be implemented

(San Juan, Puerto Rico – 30 August, 2022) – The Secretaries of the Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD) and the Department of Education (DE), Ray J. Quiñones Vázquez and Eliezer Ramos Parés, respectively, sign an agreement of inter-agency collaboration for the provision of sports services and the implementation of an educational program of esports.

“This agreement complies with the public policy of our governor, Pedro Pierluisi, in that both agencies can work together to guarantee the quality of the sport, based on our children and young people in the public system. Furthermore, in keeping with the times, we worked on a proposal for the implementation of the programming of esports in order to expand the participation and integration of new sports disciplines for the benefit of our students and avoid school dropouts”, explained the Secretary of the DRD.

As detailed in the agreement, through the Puerto Rican Institute for Development of Sport and Recreation (IPDDER), attached to the DRD, teachers who will participate in the esports program will be trained. These courses will work hand in hand with the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF).

For his part, the Secretary of the Department of Education emphasized that “Esports are very popular among our school population. This is why we must temper our offerings to include all those alternatives that promote the integration of sports in the school environment. We are very pleased to reach this agreement with the DRD, to achieve not only the benefits for our students, but in training our Physical Education program teachers so that they can continue implementing the best strategies for the development of our children and youths".

The agreement also includes the creation of the "Council of Young Athletes" sports organization, specifically in specialized sports schools. Their focus is to develop athletic leaders in their schools. In the same way, instructional videos will be worked on for the DE Physical Education Program. In addition, the collaborative labor task force for the conditioning of the courts and fields is also established in schools and in support for the School Sports Program.

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Contacts: Carolyn Muñiz, (787) 324-7559 / Robert Colberg, (787) 635-1595