THIS month Guyana will be hosting its first-ever international science exhibition which will see exhibits dating from as far back as 7,000 years. The 45-day event will depict India’s contribution to science to all of humanity within thousands of years and what is to come in the near future in terms of science and technology.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Government of Guyana and the National Council of Science Museums of India (NCSM) have agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the staging of the science exhibition in Guyana.
Culture Minster Dr. Frank Anthony, while updating the media on the event during a press briefing recently, said one of the main reasons for such an exhibition in Guyana is to create a more science-oriented environment starting with the younger generation right up.
Dr. Anthony said it is the strong belief that this initiative will assist greatly in terms of mentorship for the school population and those people that are practising science.
“We feel that this will specially help us with the areas of science and mathematics and it specially targets the young people, but it’s not exclusively to young people but we want more of our students to be exposed to the concepts to science, whether it is mathematically, principles in physics or biology and others.” He stated.
According to the minister, research so far has proven that Guyana has never has a similar exhibition, as such,that is another reason it is important to the country.
“We thought the exhibition was a very important one. In fact, we are still trying to do the research to see if we would have had any similar exhibition of this sort in the past coming to Guyana and so far we have not been able to unearth that and I think this should then be the first international exhibition that is coming to Guyana,” he pointed out.
In this exhibition, some of the very fundamental concepts of science have been  placed into interactive exhibits to allow  better understanding of certain principles that would relate to science.
“You know you read a textbook and you read about some principles, but you[are] not really seeing it in operation and you know you always wonder how this thing would operate in real life. Here you will have the opportunity to touch and feel the exhibit and to see how these principles operate.” He explained.
He said it is all about learning and getting more inclined to science. He noted that special workshops and training will be hosted to ensure that persons who are willing to volunteer and be a part of the exhibition are aware and fully equipped to educate  citizens.
Also one of the additional features of the show is a quiz that will be opened to students who visit the exhibition.
“We are planning  to have a quiz every day, so if we have 1,000 students passing through they can full up a form and if they get all the questions correct they probably get a prize, they will put all correct entries in a box and select a  few winners.” He added.
While it is a science-oriented event, Dr Anthony noted that it would not be just about science of present day but to understand where technology is going to take us in the future.
“Some of the exhibits talk about the future and this is what we are bringing to Guyana so we are very pleased we will be able to have a shot at this and it’s all compliments of the Government of India.” He added.
Following a similar exhibition in Trinidad& Tobago which closed late last month, exhibits are expected to be in Guyana by the second week this month.
Also, the minster pointed to Education Month in September,noting that the exhibition will complement the month well in this regard.
“By the end of August it should be up and running and we will have an opening ceremony, and definitely it will be on in September and also it will be a good feature in the month of September being Education Month.” He stated.
The Learning Channel will also be playing a very important role by making special documentaries that will be finished in Guyana and will be used continually by the students and younger generation to come.
Also, the University of Guyana (UG) and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) are among other scientific agencies which will be a part of the hosting of the exhibition.
“This is happening because of the close collaboration between the Governments of Guyana and India  through the respective culture ministries and we are very pleased to be able to host the exhibition and we feel that this will especially  help us with the areas of science and mathematics .” the minister emphasised.
Meanwhile, representative from the Indian High Commission in Guyana, Mr. Tirath Singh said the exhibition is a moving one and has passed through several countries including China, France and many countries in Europe.
He said the exhibition basically portrays India’s heritage, India’s culture, and India’s contribution to science.
“It will showcase exhibits in the field of mathematics, algebra, geometry, nuclear science;all this will be exhibited here and you can’t compare this with any exhibition in the world. It’s a moving exhibition and I’m sure it will be enjoyed by all.” He outlined.
Additionally, he said, there will be special programmes for children in the fields of culture, science and mathematics;it will be coming with certificates and there will be some long-term benefits from which people could benefit.