First Lady takes ICT training to Bina Hill Institute

-first ever nationally certified course offered at the institution 

Georgetown, Guyana – (April 24, 2019) First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, yesterday, said that she was pleased to launch the first ever nationally certified programme, the Information and Communication Technology workshop, at the Bina Hill Institute Youth Learning Centre (YLC), Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).  The First Lady urged the 34 participants to capitalise on the opportunity to learn and to use the skills that they will gain to develop their community.

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger (second from right) and the announcers of Radio Paiwomak, during a courtesy call at Region’s radio station.

This student of the Bin Hill Institute talks to First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, about his seedlings, while taking her on a guided tour of the facility.

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger (seated, fourth from right), Principal of the Bina Hill Institute, Dr. Laureen Pierre (seated, fifth from right), Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Carl Parker (seated third from left) along with the facilitators of the BIT -ICT training. The participants are pictured standing.

“I always say I do not want to conduct a workshop where people get a piece of paper and at the end of it, to put in a drawer.  The workshop must lead to the certification that leads to development and employment for the people who take part in it, and those people will be young people like yourselves or women [and] older people, who do the child care and senior care workshop,” Mrs. Granger said.

Meanwhile, Principal of the Institute, Dr. Laureen Pierre said that she too is pleased that the First Lady has brought the programme to the Institute.  She noted that although the Institution has done well over the years and has produced qualified graduates, it has struggled with acquiring accreditation and attracting accredited programmes.

“This training programme, as we are told, offers that.  This is a new beginning for the YLC and I want to say thank you to the First Lady for taking the initiative of moving us along,” she said.

Dr. Pierre also noted that the Institute receives a lot of support from the Government, and that for 2019, it received a subvention of over $50 million.

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mr. Carl Parker noted that the Region has a track record of supporting education.   “For the last four years we have spent in excess of $950 million in education alone… We have a smart classroom … we have rehabilitated some schools; we have provided teachers’ quarters; we have also installed some secondary tops… that is to allow children who did not get a place at the dormitory [schools] to get some form of secondary education,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to  good results from the cohort enrolled in the ICT course.

The three-week-long workshop, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT), will also include tuition on STEM Robotics and Microenterprise.