PRIME Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the duties of President, last evening urged hinterland youths schooled under the Hinterland Scholarship Programme to be the impetus of greater socio-economic growth for the country.

The occasion was the programme’s 52nd graduation exercise, which was held at the Amerindian Village, Sophia, and saw 67 youths graduate, having completed their secondary education under the programme at various schools in the city.
“Improve on what we did; do better than what we did, cause we are giving you a higher level to start from,” Prime Minister Hinds said.
He noted that his generation laboured to bring progress to Guyana, and if youths join together when it is their turn, then they could consolidate and bring greater advancement to this country.
He urged that the youths not underestimate the challenge that developing the country would bring, noting that the contributions of his generation are being impeded by not rising to this challenge of coming together. He added that if in the future the present day youths can rise to the challenge of building the country, and simultaneously rise to the challenge of coming together as a people, then growth and development in Guyana will be unparallelled.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai dubbed the exercise another in line of those that manifest the benefits of Government’s investment in education.
The Hinterland Scholarship Programme provides support to 427 plus students today, when in the beginning a mere 6 youths were awarded scholarships to attend schools in Georgetown.
“This programme is a manifestation of Government’s commitment to increase equal access to education among hinterland students,” Minister Sukhai said.
Through investments in expanding access and improving the delivery of secondary education, Government is strengthening and improving the quality and the capacity of the country’s human resource capital to ensure the country’s future, she said.
Minister Sukhai also briefly addressed the issue of the Youth Entrepreneurial and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) which aims to enhance the competence and capabilities of those youths who were not successful in gaining scholarships.  She noted that there are many that will not benefit from the programme this year, since the initiative was ‘put to rest’ by the opposition. The parliamentary opposition cut the Ministry’s $1.1B capital budget that caters for several initiatives for the upliftment of the Amerindians including the YEAP programme.
Minister Sukhai said that the government and the ministry however, remain undaunted and will continue the programme even as it seeks to implement similar initiatives.
In this line, the Minister mentioned Government’s partnership with the University of Guyana, which will come online in September 2014 and by which distance tertiary education for bachelors’ degrees in Maths, Physics and Computer Science will be offered to the hinterland.
The project which will be available to students in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 will see those eligible being provided with student loans and a tablet (pre-programmed for the course,) the Minister explained.
“Whatever it takes, do not let the struggles of your parents and your providers go in vain,” Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall implored in his charge to the graduands.
The Permanent Secretary noted that whilst the day is a celebration of a milestone in the graduates’ lives, it is not the end of their education, but the beginning. He urged that they aim for the sky.
He pointed out that he grew up in different times when the country and people was treated with disrespect and disdain.
“Today you live in a country that abounds with freedom, justice, equality and relative prosperity…do not let the freedom you have, the schooling provided and the opportunities that beckon get lost,” he said.
The Hinterland Scholarship Programme has provided students with the opportunity to study at secondary, technical and tertiary levels in the region and in Georgetown.
This programme, which has produced numerous hinterland students, is supported by a $100M dormitory that was constructed under the PPPC Government at Liliendaal, to provide housing for the Hinterland Scholarship students. The students are also provided with a stipend. (GINA)