– Minister Anthony clarifies concerns during Budget debate
In an effort to ensure that youths are provided with necessary opportunities and tools to progress and develop, Government will be placing emphasis on upgrading the National Youth Policy this year.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, responding to questions from Member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Africo Selman, pointed out that the youth policy that exists is outdated and that Government has secured assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to have it upgraded.
During Monday’s debate, Selman questioned the Minister on development of sport facilities and sporting events to benefit youths, since it was stated that youths engage in other activities including the use of drugs, when sporting activities can be used to create positive changes. She stated that allocations for the upgrading and construction of facilities are useless in the absence of a National Sports Policy and raised concerns over the status of the policy.
Minister Anthony stated that Government is committed to upgrading the youth policy and outlined several areas under the Ministry which deals with the development of youths. He stated that young people are the primary beneficiaries of the 2010 national budget, and this is reflected in the allocations to the various sectors.
The Ministry deals with youth health, youth education, youth and citizenship, parenthood, and juvenile justice and it has made significant progress in several aspects which will be continued this year, the Minister said.
Under youth health, the Minister noted that from a survey done by the Ministry of Health in 2004, it was found that young people were engaged in unsafe and undesirable practices placing them at risk. Of those surveyed, 58.7 percent were sexually active and of those, 53.5 percent were not using condoms, the Minister said.
Apart from sexual behaviour, the survey showed that more than 50 percent were shown to have consumed alcohol; and these factors have prompted closer collaboration between ministries to educate young people on the consequences of their actions.
“In the area of parenting, the Ministry has been providing training to young people about the responsibilities of parenting. We recognise that single parenthood has evolved as a phenomenon in our society; we believe that if we are to reverse this trend, we need to educate our young people about the integrity and virtues of parenthood in the context of marriage and wholesome family life, thus we will expand our programmes in this area targeting young men especially,” the Minister said.
In the area of culture, the Minister noted that during this year, Government would actively pursue the expansion of bilateral cultural relations seen earlier when relations were established with Kuwait.
Minister Anthony pointed out that institutions within the Ministry have also concluded several agreements with partnering institutions, including the Austrian Museum of Ethnology and the Walter Roth Museum. Through this partnership, a technical team visited Guyana in October 2009 and conducted training for the museum staff, and this year this will be further strengthened through knowledge transfer projects, joint exhibitions and research.
Last year, the overall increase in visitors to all museums was 35 percent.
To attract more visitors this year, the Ministry will be putting on an exhibition of the fossils of two sloths which were carbon dated to 10,000 years ago. In addition to the actual fossils, the Museum has also procured an exact replica of the sloth and a special hall will be created at the museum to house it, which the Minister said is possible through collaboration with German partners.
A similar strategy is being pursued to create a permanent cartographic exhibition which is set to open in November and an exhibition depicting the Amerindian civilizations in Amazonia set to open in 2011.
Noting that the Walter Rodney National Archives is memory of the nation, the Minister stated that the Ministry embarked on an aggressive programme to collect historic records. The Ministry acquired the archival holdings from the Deeds Registry, Berbice, and from the High Court in Georgetown last year, and the archives of the Netherlands also presented maps of the Dutch period in Guyana.
Government will also be collaborating with stakeholders to create an audio-visual archive and partner with the History Department of the University of Guyana to have a historian in residence at the archives.
The 34-year old National Cultural Centre continues to be the premier venue for the performing arts and the Minister stated that the timely provisions in the budget will commence remedial works on the roof of the building.
The Ministry will organize a National Drama Festival which will allow playwrights, actors and actresses to bring new work to stage and discussions have already started within the Ministry to establish a national theatre school to be based at the National Cultural Centre.
The National Trust continues to play a role in the preservation of the nation’s patrimony, and last year significant work was done at Fort Nassau, Zeelandia, and other sites, resulting in a direct increase of visitors of over 20 percent at all sites.
The Minister pointed out that the Ministry will start the restoration of sites this year, including the Dutch windmill located at Hogg Island and the roof of the Umana Yana, Kingston.
Noting other developments within the sector, the Minister pointed out that three new awards will be introduced to the National Sports Awards this year, including the best community, the best primary school and the best secondary school in sports.
Minister Anthony pointed out that the National Sports Policy which was drafted in collaboration with sports associations does not meet the required standards, and Government is currently engaged in the process of securing the services of an international consultant who would help to finalise the policy so that it can come to fruition later in the year.
Commenting on the record $142.8B national budget, the Minister said, “We recognize that despite our steady progress we need to usher in a new generation of changes so that we can be competitive in the 21st century. That is why this budget has made provisions for those far reaching transformatory changes by building the transport network, the information backbone, and by pursuing a low carbon development path.
“This certainly will give us the competitive edge. In addition, the substantial investments in education and health and other social services are to ensure that we have a highly educated and healthy population to drive development, narrowing the gaps that exist between us and other countries”.(GINA)