8 schools to improve educational services through Diaspora initiative

Scores of young people from several schools across the country will now have easier access to online curricula and learning as 70 tablets were donated by a Diaspora-based group called Guyanese United To Serve our Youth (GUTSY) Inc.

Eight schools, both public and private, will be the first beneficiaries of this initiative.

In a simple ceremony which also saw the launch of the organisation’s new website, GUTSY BACKYARD, Head of the Diaspora Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rolinda Rasul, said that the ministry will continue to implore other stakeholders to lend support to initiatives that work towards the improvement of the nation.

“We want to encourage parents, teachers, and the school system basically, to continue to give our diaspora as much support as they possibly can, because these are people who put their time, their energy, their resources,” she said.

Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson, highlighted said the ministry will be willing to use all methods of technology to deliver quality education whilst still battling with COVID-19.

“Every laptop, every tablet, every projector, everything that has to do with technology is important as we go through this phase,” Dr Hutson encouraged.

“I want to assure that at the Ministry of Education, at the level of the minister, we will continue that support and whatever we can do to make this process better, because it is for the benefit our children, and by extension the nation,” he added.

Founder of the NGO Janice Hall, explained that while academic excellence is important, characters must also be developed for children to succeed in life.

The curriculum being introduced focuses on six key pillars for character building:

• Trustworthiness
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Fairness
• Caring
• Citizenship

“All these skills are vital for children to succeed in school, in college, in their workplace, in their careers, and to live happy, worthy, fulfilling lives and be engaged, responsible citizens,” Hall explained.

She said that the organisation remains committed to assisting in the delivery of holistic education in Guyana.

“Our team of trainers and our board are committed to working with the Ministry of Education, the students, teachers, [and] caregivers, to ensure our children get the quality education that they deserve. [All we need is] your support to help provide a more holistic approach to education,” the founder detailed.

GUTSY is a non-profit organisation (NGO). Its main focus is to coach and mentor children to develop conduct and behaviour that will enable them to become responsible adults.