SIXTY students from five schools across Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have benefited from the receipt of bicycles under President David Granger’s ‘Boats, Buses, Bicycles plus Breakfast and Books’, or “Five Bs” programme.Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, under whose Ministry the programme is managed; and First Lady Sandra Granger, who has thrown her support behind the initiative, on Monday personally presented the bicycles to the students who were identified by regional educational officials.

Starting off in at the Department of Education building in New Amsterdam, (Region Six) Minister Ally and the First Lady handed over 30 of the 60 bicycles to students from the Canje Secondary School, and from Angoy’s Avenue and Sandvoort.

Addressing the students and teachers, Minister Ally said Government believes that an educated nation would help to foster a good life for all.

“This project is the vision of President Granger, because he wants every child in school to have the opportunity to have a good education, and it is not by accident or for show that he has introduced the “Bs” project.

“This project has benefited a number of students, and I hope that all the students of this region will make full use of this opportunity to ensure that they get to school on time, and not tired,” Minister Ally said. “This Government is very serious about this project. We want to give you the opportunity to have a better life in Guyana.”

The minister noted that while the Government has been in office for only a little over a year, it has impacted the education sector in almost all of the regions across the country.

“We have touched education to provide transport for our children; we have touched schools to provide footwear. So we have touched many lives in this one year, particularly in the educational aspect,” she said.

The minister said that while everything cannot be done at once, “as soon as is practicable, all the other regions will get more buses, boats and bicycles”. She thanked the corporate citizens who have been supporting the programme, stating that it is necessary to note that the Government was putting “no pressure on anyone to give what they are giving; but they understand the President’s vision and what he wants for Guyana and they, too, understand that if they invest in education, we will have a better nation”.

The First Lady, in her brief comments, said that the contributors must be appreciated, and the administration must be lauded for its efforts to realise the project. She charged the students to take care of the bicycles, noting that the machines must serve to strengthen students’ resolve and drive to pursue their education.

“It is important that we have educated people who will take decisions which can grow and develop our country,” Mrs Granger said.

OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION
Region Six Educational Officer Ms Volika Jaikishun remarked that the presentation of the bicycles was a testimony to the fact that the President and the Government of Guyana were committed to providing the good life to all Guyanese.

“We are very thankful for the buses. The three buses are facilitating more than 1,000 students per day. I know that our children will make full use of the bicycles, and we know that this initiative will continue because the President has promised a good life to all Guyanese,” Ms Jaikishun said.

Region Six Executive Officer Dr Veerasammy Ramayya echoed these sentiments, noting that the bicycles provide the opportunity for students to acquire an education.

In addition, Headmistress of the Canje Secondary School, Ms Vanessa Jacobs, whose school had seven students benefiting from the donation, said she is pleased with the effort that the Government has made to ensure that the most vulnerable students are given the opportunity to get to school.

“These bicycles will be very beneficial. Some of the students who benefited from the bicycles are coming from homes which have more than one student, so you will find two persons using one bicycle, for those who received. The catchment area for Canje Secondary School is very wide, and so they are coming from very, very far areas, so the cost for the parents is quite high; so that will be a great relief for the parents, and it will help with the punctuality of the students,” Ms. Jacobs said.

Over in Region Five, Minister Ally and the First Lady handed over another 30 bicycles to beneficiaries, including those from the Mahaicony Secondary and Novar Secondary Schools.

“Children, I hope that you will not only take care of these bicycles, but that you will be safe in riding these to your schools,” the Minister said.

Deputy Regional Education Officer Annesta Douglas said education is valued in the region, and it is good to see that the students are being given the opportunity to stay in school through the bicycles.

“These bicycles are providing the opportunity to reduce absenteeism and unpunctuality. (They are) going to make sure that our students are always on time and regular… On behalf of the Department of Education, we want to say thank you, and we will encourage them to care the bicycles,” she said.

In an invited comment, Headmistress of the Mahaicony Secondary School, Ms Francine McKenzie, said she expects the donation to impact school attendance and punctuality.

“The students who have benefited today are students who are often absent [and] late…. So this will get them to school. Most of them are high achievers, [but] because of the absenteeism factor they are unable to cope with the work; so I am happy to see that they are benefiting from this programme.”

Sharon Heeralall, Headmistress of Novar Secondary School, shared similar sentiments, noting that she expects that the beneficiaries will now be more motivated to attend school.

“Our absenteeism rate is very high, and we are hoping that these students will be in school regularly and punctually from now. From what I can see, they are now upbeat, and I hope that this will transcend to their attendance in school,” she said.

The Five Bs’ programme aims to ensure that all of Guyana’s children are able to get to school. The ‘Boats, Buses and Bicycles’ initiative started back in July 2015, when President Granger celebrated his 70th birthday and made a call for support for this initiative that will ensure transportation is provided so that children can get to school safely and comfortably. There has since been a tremendous national response, with private citizens and businesses donating boats and engines, buses, bicycles and shoes to the programme.

The President recently added breakfast and books to the programme to ensure that all the bases are covered for children to be in school. (Ministry of the Presidency)