Education Secretary Leonor Briones expressed her excitement over the inauguration of the National Academy of Sports (NAS) which is set to admit its first batch of learners by August 2021.
“Our children, our learners who are really interested in sports, this is not only a phase in their lives, but sports as a science and sports as an art,” said Briones in a statement issued Wednesday, May 26.
Briones added that the opening of NAS will greatly boost the country’s eventual participation in regional and global sports events. “Here, at the National Academy of Sports, they will be taught and for those who are into sports, this is a very attractive proposition,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Citing the need for a specialized institution that will develop the skills and character of promising student-athletes, Briones expressed her excitement over the inauguration of the NAS.
Meanwhile, DepEd also formally welcomed the officials of the newly-established NAS.
Briones, who is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the academy, administered the oath-taking of NAS Executive Director Josephine Joy Reyes, Deputy Executive Director Emil Arroyo, and System Registrar and Board Secretary Mary Grace Ramoy.
Representing the private sector, Patrick Gregorio also took his oath as a member of the NAS Board of Trustees.
Created through Republic Act No. 11470, the NAS is an attached institution of DepEd, in close coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). It which aims to develop more future world-class Filipino athletes and increase youth interest in sports.
DepEd said that the NAS envisions itself at the “forefront of global sports development and education, producing well-rounded student-athletes equipped with the ability and passion to become sources of national pride.”
The virtual oath-taking ceremony was witnessed by Officer-In-Charge Assistant Secretary for the NAS and Field Operations Malcolm Garma, the family members of the officials, and members of the NAS Management Committee.
Currently, NAS is also conducting a logo and hymn-making contest in preparation for its inaugural school year.
For guidelines and other updates, additional information may be viewed at NAS System's official social media accounts: www.facebook.com/nassystemph, www.twitter.com/nassystemph, and www.instagram.com/nassystemph.