Teachers on scholarships to Chile

The seminars will focus on the latest theory of, and practical application for teaching Spanish as a foreign language.

There will, of course, be cultural exchanges with their Chilean counterparts.

Some of the exchange teachers said they’re looking forward to a change of weather and seeing snow for the first time (it being the depths of winter in Santiago de Chile just now).

Speaking impromptu, Minister Ken Valley said, “This is an important initiative we have been pursuing to have Spanish as our first foreign language.

“It is part of our strategy for getting Trinidad integrated in to Latin America, part of our vision 20-20. We have been looking North for too long.

“And we must remember that we have been Spanish longer that we have been English. We have been English only from 1797, for 300 years before that we were Spanish. Now we’re back home, having knowledge of both languages. We are important intermediaries between the English-speaking North and the Spanish speaking South.”

(One did wonder how long it’s been since the Minister last visited Miami? However.) He said Trinidad wants to have cultural exchanges with all Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.

He ended by hinting that we could be seeing TV programmes made in Chile on local screens with perhaps, others from South and Central American countries.