THE Chinese Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Hu Shan presented Minister of Education Desmond Bannister with a cheque for $10,000 to assist in the rebuilding of the Crooked Island High School, which suffered severe damage during Hurricane Irene in August. In making the presentation at the Ministry of Education on Monday, Ambassador Shan told Education officials that when the hurricane struck, the Chinese people felt as if it were their own tragedy and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent a letter of sympathy to Prime Minister Ingraham. Shortly after, the Chinese government donated $300,000 to assist with the hurricane relief efforts. The ambassador said when he learned from Minister Bannister and the Education Permanent Secretary Elma Garraway about the damage at the Crooked Island High School, he decided to provide the school with $10,000 "as a token of regard of the Chinese Embassy and also an expression of our esteem for education." He said: "Like the Bahamas, China attaches great importance to education, which is reflected by a popular saying in China, which literally reads, 'In a hundred-year strategy, education is the base,' and the deep meaning is that education is of fundamental importance to the fulfillment of a nation's long range mission." Thanking the ambassador, Minister Bannister said: "It is important for us to rebuild this school because it is the birthplace of secondary education in the Family Islands. It was the first central secondary school to be established in the Bahamas," he said. He said the government is determined to rebuild the school, not only for its historical legacy, but more importantly, to meet the needs of the students of Crooked Island. Mr Bannister also lauded ambassador for his recent donation of laptops and printers to the CI Gibson Senior High School's technology programme. The Chinese Embassy has also been instrumental in the establishment of the Performing Arts Programme at the Government High School and has donated thousands of books to public libraries throughout the Bahamas. Acting Principal of Crooked Island High, Jerome Forbes, thanked the ambassador, explaining that the school needs to be rebuilt for the students as well as the adults in the community, who also take classes there.