SCHOOLCHILDREN of Bartica and surrounding communities now have a 50-seater bus and some bicycles, thanks to businessman Nizam Kassim. President David Granger commissioned the bus on Third Avenue, Bartica, in the presence of a large crowd of residents.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman; Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally; Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton; Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings-Williams; Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford; and Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) Gifford Marshall were among the officials who witnessed the event.
In addition to David “G” School Bus No. 6, 30 bicycles were provided to children of Bartica, the majority of whom attend the Bartica Secondary School, but live a great distance from the school in areas such as Three Miles, Kalcoon Camp and Mora Camp. This batch of 30 complements the first batch of 21 which was donated in January. The bus will not only transport children in central Bartica, but in the outlying areas as far as Five Miles. This initiative forms part of the President’s Three B’s Initiative.
In delivering the feature address, President Granger said education, which is next to food, water and clothing, is the best investment that can be made in the development of a child; hence, it is his mission to ensure that every child has access to education.
“I have taken a personal vow to ensure that every Guyanese child goes to school,” the President posited. Education, he said, paves the way for meaningful employment. “Too many young people are dropping out of school…in fact, 4,000 primary and secondary schoolchildren drop out of school every day; it has to stop,” he stressed.
Education, he further added, is the foundation of equality, pointing out that one of the reasons poverty continues to prevail is because of inequality. Equality in education allows for a better opportunity at employment, the President further explained. “A lot of what divides our society is education,” he added.
Emphasis must also be placed on enterprise, he said, noting that residents must empower themselves by using the available resources to become thriving entrepreneurs.
Minister Ally, in her address, said the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government is in full support of the President’s Three Bs Programme, even as she applauded Mr. Kassim for supporting the President’s mission to ensure every child has access to education.
The Social Cohesion Ministry, she said, in collaboration with the Education Ministry will be evaluating the Three Bs Programme to measure its impact on the student population of Guyana.
“We are not in the business of offering handouts, but rather it is one designed to improve our human capital – our children, and ultimately contribute to sustainable development,” she stated clearly.
To date, the government under the Three B’s Programme, has provided the children of Guyana with a total of nine buses, six boats and more than 300 bicycles since the initiation of the programme.