IN Guyana, with its multi-cultural weave, significant advances have been made in bringing different sections of society together, according to Acting President and Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds.

These sentiments were expressed at the opening of a six-week state media training programme yesterday at the Guyana International Conference Centre, where the Prime Minister added that the programme of activities for the training is both timely and relevant, and will bolster the move towards greater cooperation in Guyanese society.
“In the state media, we have to become much more knowledgeable about the main issues in Guyana, particularly the issue of coming together and developing Guyana….we have the job of creating Guyana,” he said.
According to Mr. Hinds, the state media, which include the Government National Information Agency (GINA), the National Communication Network (NCN) and the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), have a responsibility to pursue effectively a much broader interest, the development of our country, and inculcate the kind of values in our people that make development easier, as well as to bring our people more and more together.
He acknowledged the challenge of the state media remaining competitive in an environment where free press is encouraged, and pointed out that performance matters.
To this end, he charged the over 40 participants to face the challenges in their media operations head on, and improve their skills and technical expertise as a part of their own self-development.
Mr. Hinds also stressed the principles of balance, truth and accuracy as hallmarks of media operations the world over. “We have to expect more of ourselves,” he said, committing the support of the State to this endeavour.
General Manager of GNNL, Mr. Michael Gordon, who made brief remarks, expressed his gratitude for this support and lauded the merits of the training programmes, as well as the vision that underscored the investment in the training.
He too acknowledged the challenges of remaining competitive and underscored that addressing this issue is one of the aims of the training programme.
According to him, reliability, credibility and a competitive edge will be bolstered by the training programme and, to this end, he charged participants to take the opportunity to hone their skills, build their portfolio, network and become experts in the area within which they work.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NCN, Mrs. Molly Hassan, reiterated similar sentiments and also pointed out that in building a competitive advantage on the local media scene, human resource development is essential. She highlighted the fact that the training programme responds to a careful examination of employees’ needs and is an investment that is needed to ensure success in state media operations.
Additionally, Head of GINA, Mr. Neaz Subhan, stated that the training is a means for employees to not only advance, but also ensure that they are marketable.
He urged participants to demonstrate hunger, passion, commitment and an open mind as they continue as state media practitioners.
All three media managers also agreed that measuring the success of the programme is important.
Coordinator of the project, Mr. Rovin Deodat, also made remarks at the session’s opening, and pointed out that there is tremendous support for the programme.
He added that the facilitators, Mr. Raschid Osman, Mr. Ron Robinson, Mr. Mark McGowan, Dr. Prem Misir, Mrs. Michella Abraham-Ali and other senior state media operatives, bring more than 300 years of experience to the table.
The training programme modules cover topics including, English usage, writing to the different media platforms and servicing and updating web pages, among others. The session is expected to come to an end on October 30, 2014.

(By Vanessa Narine)