Adjustments in Ministerial responsibilities for Ministers Henry, Dr. Roopnaraine – adjustments geared at providing better public services
Georgetown, Guyana – (June 13, 2017) President David Granger, for the third time in two years, has announced several adjustments to his Cabinet with Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine now assuming responsibility for the Public Service under the auspices of the Ministry of the Presidency while Minister within the Ministry of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, will take up the role of the Minister of Education. Further, a Department which will oversee the innovation and reform of the Education sector, will be established within the Ministry of the Presidency under the purview of the President.
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, who announced the changes earlier today during the lunch break at Cabinet meeting, said that they are geared at ensuring that better educational and public services are provided to the Guyanese people in a smooth and efficient manner.
“The President, this morning, briefed Cabinet that he had a discussion with Dr. Roopnaraine yesterday and after that discussion, it was agreed that Dr. Roopnaraine will be reassigned from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of the Presidency with specific responsibility for the Public Service. The President further briefed Cabinet that a Department under the Ministry of the Presidency will be created to oversee innovation and reform in the education sector. This Department will be under the President. In the meantime, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Minister Nicolette Henry will continue to perform the functions of the office of the Minister until further notice,” he said.
The appointment of Dr. Roopnaraine will take effect from June 15, 2017. He will continue to be a member of Cabinet and a Member of the National Assembly.
Minster Harmon said that the Head of State has full confidence in his Ministers’ abilities to fulfil the new responsibilities to which they have been assigned. “He continues to have full confidence in Dr. Roopnaraine as a valued member of Cabinet as well as a valued member of the National Assembly and it is felt that overseeing the Public Service would add to the quality of service, which is provided to the people of Guyana,” Minister Harmon said.
In 2016, the President had also initiated some changes to his Cabinet. Minister Catherine Hughes was appointed Minister of Public Telecommunications while the Ministry of Governance and the Protection of the National Patrimony were delinked and the latter renamed the Ministry of Natural Resources and assigned to Minister Raphael Trotman. The functions of the Ministry of Governance were then added to the portfolio of Prime Minister, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo. In addition, Minister Simona Broomes was also shifted from the Ministry of Social Protection to the Ministry of Natural Resources, while Minister Keith Scott was moved to the Ministry of Social Protection from the Ministry of Communities and was tasked with responsibility for Labour. Minister Valerie Sharpe-Patterson was then given the nod for the post of Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing.
In January of this year, President Granger made some additional changes to his Cabinet, reassigning Minister Volda Lawrence from the Ministry of Social Protection to head the Ministry of Public Health while Minister Amna Ally was moved from the Ministry of Social Cohesion to the Ministry of Social Protection. Former Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton was moved then from the Ministry of Public Health to the Ministry of Social Cohesion, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of the Presidency.