…during annual Minister’s luncheon
BEARING gifts and a promise of support from the Government, President Bharrat Jagdeo, visited the New Opportunity Corps on the
Essequibo Coast yesterday, bringing words of encouragement to the young people there and expressing satisfaction at the development
of the institution over the years. The occasion was the annual Minister’s Luncheon at the NOC, otherwise known as Boys’ School, located at Onderneeming.
“I am very happy to be here. I am extremely pleased to see the progress and energy from the new management and staff. [There is] a
changed outlook,” said President Jagdeo.
According to the President, discussions will commence on how to make the transition easier for the children of the institution.
Regarding the disadvantages that the children there are perceived to face because of their circumstance, the President said that
every child in the institution is special.
“We in the Government see you as equal to every other child in Guyana. You have a bright future ahead of you. You have a country that
wants you to be a part of its future,” said the President, adding: “The role you play is as valuable as the role of other children.”
Encouraging them not to be downtrodden about their situation, the President told the children that circumstances change in life.
“There is always hope…we will do whatever it takes to ensure that your re-integration into society [is as] smooth as possible and that you are equipped to face the world,” he said.
Urging the students not to despair, President Jagdeo said that their time in the institution is just a short part of an otherwise
long journey and that they have the rest of their lives to achieve their goals. He told them that while achieving those goals will
not be easy, they must work hard, study hard and be good at sports or whatever activity they engage in so that success will come.
According to the President, parental failure, identified as one of the key reasons that children end up in the correctional facility,
is something that the administration is working to address.
He said, “If we can generate enough love in institutions like this, in the society, among NGOs, then maybe we can overcome some of
the shortcomings of some of the parents.”
Further, the President spoke of a $400M facility that the government is constructing to house elderly persons who have no home. He
said that this facility will be completed in a few months time.
Noting that some of these children are vulnerable, he also spoke of the tough laws that the government has passed in Parliament to
ensure that persons who abuse children in vulnerable situations face harsh penalties.
Speaking just before the President, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, told the gathering that the children
come to the institutions for different reasons, sometimes through the failure of parents.
“We want to provide a home environment to mentor them,” he said, noting that some of the children write examinations to either enter
into primary school or secondary school. Some of them, he said, go on to perform well at the Caribbean Secondary Education
Certificate (CSEC). “When they leave, they [do so] with employable skills,” the Minister said, referring to the vast choice of
disciplines that students can learn.
Members of the visiting party were treated to an exhibition of the work of the students of the institution and were escorted by
Training Officer at the NOC, Brian King, and other training staff of the various disciplines.
The Minister said the administration will continue to strive to improve the facility, saying that the Ministry has indeed transformed
the compound and the dorms.
He said the institution tries to achieve a level of self-sufficiency in terms of producing its own agricultural produce and they are
attempting to expand this.
Making brief remarks, Chairman of the Region Two Regional Democratic Council, Alli Baksh, said the institution has been transformed
over the last decade to the benefit of those who are housed there.
At the end of the formal presentation, which included dances, poems and other performances by the children, the President handed over
gifts individually to a large number of children. The others received their individually wrapped and labelled gifts after the
visiting party departed. The staff and management of the institution also made presentations of gifts to the President, Minister
Anthony, and other officials. Before leaving, the President had one on one interaction with students at the institution, when they
laid out many issues of concern to them.