Presidential Youth empowerment programme donates textbooks, laptops for its three pilot night schools
GINA, GUYANA, Friday, February 17, 2017
The Office of the Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment today, donated over 300 textbooks and 25 laptops to the North Ruimveldt, Sophia and Soesdyke Night Schools.
The donation is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education and the e-Government Agency to aid in the tutorial of the subjects for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations and to assist with research.
Senior Research and Planning Officer, Adeti de Jesus, Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment, Aubrey Norton and E- Government Acting Director, Clarence Garraway handing over textbooks and laptops to the youths attached to the various night schools
In brief remarks, at the Festival City Youth and Parent Organisation (FCYPO), North Ruimveldt, Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment, Aubrey Norton said that he hopes the youths will appreciate the opportunity given, as well and treat the items donated as their own.
“We hope that you make the best use of the resources and treat it as your property because today you are not paying for taxes, but your parents are and it is your parents’ taxes that purchased it so essentially it is your property,”Norton explained.
Norton lauded the night schools’ facilitators for providing an environment where the youths can gather to study.
“One of the things that we are doing is to ensure that the night schools are managed by youth organisations so the young people in the community develop leadership and management skills to manage their own programmes,” the Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment added.
Norton pointed out that the night schools have been successful without any high rates of youths dropping out of the programme and he hopes that the programme continues to be successful.
Meanwhile, e-Government Agency Acting Director, Clarence Garraway expressed his gratitude to the Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment for allowing the agency to contribute the laptops and internet connection as a benefit to the youths attending the night school pilot programme.
Garraway said that the donation is in keeping with the agency’s strategy to not only increase the reach of education in Guyana, but also to facilitate the creation of jobs.
Garraway noted that the agency looks forward to providing support to the government’s youth empowerment
Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment, Aubrey Norton and E- Government Acting Director, Clarence Garraway viewing the textbooks provided to the students
programme and the Ministry of Education for the continuation of the night school pilot programme. He added that the agency will be happy to assist with other programmes implemented by the the government’s youth empowerment programme and the Ministry.
The night school facilitators on behalf of the students who have registered for CXC said that they appreciate the donation and noted that students have banded themselves into study groups to help each other with their studies.
Ninety-four (94) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) textbooks were donated to the Dynamic Youth Empowerment Organisation for the Soesdyke Night School Programme. The Sophia Community Development Association was given 120 CSEC textbooks for the Sophia Night School Programme while FCYPO was given 120 CSEC textbooks for the North Ruimveldt Night School Programme.
The pilot programme which was established in 2016 in Sophia, Soesdyke, North Ruimveldt and Meten-Meer-Zorg had seen some challenges and was delayed due to persons being embarrassed about their illiteracy. However some of those challenges were overcome and over 150 youths have participated in the programme to date.
By: Neola Damon