-Min Ally says while unveiling agenda for social cohesion

PRESIDENT David Granger’s 5Bs initiative, which was initially geared to provide transportation for schoolchildren, has helped put scores of students in the hinterland and other areas back in school, Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally said on Wednesday, as she laid out her ministry’s plans for next year. Ally said the 5Bs programme aims to bridge the inequality gap in the country, a programme she said the former PPP/C administration lacked “the foresight to introduce.” “The Ministry of Social Cohesion has been tasked with the responsibility to manage this programme, because it is relevant to Social Cohesion…Mr Speaker, access to education is fundamental to the development of our human capital; it is an essential criteria [sic] to effectively participate in any democratic society such as ours and everyone has the right to education, regardless of where they live, their race, culture or geographic location and I urge all to embrace this,” Ally said.
She highlighted the efforts of the government’s corporate partners who have also assisted in driving the programme and noted that as a government it is a necessary social, economic and moral imperative to have the political will to remove barriers to education. “Our work is incomplete if we believe we can just build schools. We have to find creative ways to get our children to access those schools; to receive a full course of primary and secondary education; that is the primary purpose of the Bs initiative,” declared Ally.
The Minister of Social Cohesion informed the House that the 5Bs programme,the brainchild of President Granger, seeks to provide boats, buses, bicycles, breakfasts and books to schoolchildren has already reaped benefits as more children have been able to attend school regularly. As a result, that ministry is working with the Ministry of Education to continuously measure the impacts of the programme across the country.
“In 2017 we intend to intensify our monitoring and evaluation efforts to measure the impact of the Bs programme…[and] seek ways in which we can improve this programme,” she said, while expressing confidence that her government is on the right path to improve access to education here.
Noting that the country’s literacy rate will be restored to above 96 percent, Ally said the coalition government is aware that schools are strategic institutions that can have significant impacts on social cohesion in Guyana. “Schools are critical institutions in the promotion of social cohesion through the transmission of knowledge and shaping of attitudes of individuals towards diversity; schools can foster or retard students’ tolerance.”
Additionally, the minister noted that the schools can prove powerful in forging a national identity which can unite the country’s diverse communities. On that note, the minister said her ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to create a booklet on civic education which would be distributed in all primary schools.
“It is intended to educate our primary-aged students about [the] value of being good citizens, love and respect, knowledge about our multi-ethnic society and valuable contributions made by our diverse groups,” she said.
Strategic plan
Meanwhile, Ally said that the 2017 budget which has been chided by the opposition will allow her government to roll out its Strategic Plan and noted that there has been and will continue to be engagements with the Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities. “These groups are now collectively working along with my ministry to seek implementable programmes that can foster social cohesion.”
The Ministry of Social Cohesion’s Strategic Plan is currently in its final stage of formulation and a validation workshop to be held early next year will see the unveiling of the draft plan. $90.1M has been allocated to the Ministry of Social Cohesion in 2017 and according to Ally, that sum will be used for national, regional art competitions and exhibitions to recognise positive contributions, diverse groups of Guyanese to the development of Guyana and these will be based on cross-cutting themes, race, religion and gender.
The objective she said, is to recognise, promote and celebrate achievements of diverse groups of Guyanese to the development of Guyana. “Our schoolchildren will have opportunities to be part of these initiatives as we continue our collaboration with the Ministry of Education,” she said, while noting that at the community level, the sum allocated to the ministry will be used to organise inter-village and inter-regional youth exchanges that will allow 250 young people from indigenous backgrounds and minority groups to be part of a multi-cultural exchange programme.
That programme will see participants being exposed to lifeskills and practical strategies which will lend for access to employment and furthering educational pursuits. “This programme will allow young people the opportunity to explore positive, internalised attitudes and stereotypes–the expected outcomes are to have a cadre of young social cohesion ambassadors at the community levels. Mr Speaker, budget 2017 will allow the ministry to organise a week of activities to signal a stand against racism and intolerance for diversity…This initiative includes a day of prayer.”