WHAT started out with over 600 applicants who sought to further their education through the Institute for Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE), saw a remarkable achievement Saturday by a majority of these individuals, when they graduated at the 38th annual graduation exercise, which was held at the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus.

Students graduated in the areas of Industrial Relations and Management; Early Childhood Development; Early Childhood Education; Supervisory management; Marketing Management; Academic Upgrading; Mathematics, English Language, Principles of Business, Principles of Accounts and Office Administration; Proficiency in Mathematics and English Language; Introduction to Social Work; Care of the Elderly; and Sign Language.
Graced by musical renditions by the talented Guyana Police Force band, the graduation ceremony marked yet another year of achievement not only for individuals graduating, but for Guyana’s development. It is to this extent that Guest Speaker, Hon. Madam Dawn Gregory, who is a Judge at the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana, and a graduate of the University of Guyana, was privileged to be the guest speaker.
Wishing the graduates success in their endeavours, Madam Dawn Gregory encouraged them to continue striving for excellence in all that they pursue. She further urged them not to be merely passive, and emphasised the need for them to take action in aid of further developing their lives and their country. “You have a choice, you can either be a passive victim of circumstance, or you can be an active hero on your own,” she said.
As the evening progressed, prizes for outstanding performers were presented to students who had done exceptionally well, while certificates of recognition were distributed; and crowning the evening’s event was the valedictorian’s speech.
Birthed in January, 1976, IDCE which was then known as The University of Guyana Extra- Mural Department, sought to devise outreach programmes that specifically targeted the felt needs of the majority of the population.
In any given year, the institute registers in excess of over 600 students at the Georgetown Centre alone. Over the years, some of them have pursued careers in law, business, and have even become lecturers at the institution.