As part of an inspection exercise,Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee  recently toured the Bina Hill Institute at Annai in the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI) , High Commissioner Chatterjee was part of a delegation which recently visited the North Rupununi Skills Training Institute for Indigenous youths, as part of an inspection of Canadian funded projects and to listen to the needs of the hinterland communities.

The report stated that the Canadian High Commissioner told students at a ceremony that: “We are to listen to you and to hear what your needs are and to respond to your needs. We have had a long history with you and you have not let us down in the past and we have full confidence that you will not let us down in the future.” She encouraged them to take full advantage of the training opportunities offered at the institution.

Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, who led the delegation, noted that partnerships are a key component in the developmental process for Indigenous communities.

Minister Allicock said that the Canadian Government is a long-standing partner of the institute which was established in 2001, and recently contributed to the establishment of a chicken rearing project at the institution.

Regional Chairman , Brian Allicock , who was on hand, stressed the importance of partnerships in the development of the region. “I’m happy that the Canadian representatives are here to see what has been done with their funding. we can’t let opportunities like these goes by with voicing our concerns and needs.”

The Bina Hill Institute is the lone residential tertiary institution located in the hinterland. It provides access to skills training programmes for Indigenous youths who reside in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine. The students are trained in natural resource management, forestry, wildlife, agriculture, tourism, business studies, life and traditional skills, computer skills, and Mathematics and English Language.

During the tour , the delegation visited the Wowetta Women’s Agro-processors Farine Processing Factory and the Hinterland Green Enterprise Centre, which is under construction.

The team was also treated to a cultural presentation in the form of traditional songs and dances from the students of Bina Hill Institute and the Surama Cultural Group.