Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon and Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar have assured Aliki residents that the ‘Coalition’ is a caring government during a community meeting on Sunday.

Harmon revealed that from this September, the community’s youths will be able to benefit from an after-school programme via the Social Protection Ministry.

The programme will allow the youths to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination and eventually further their studies. This move will see the students being placed at nearby secondary schools with dormitory facilities to further their education.

Harmon was responding to appeals to address the issues of the school drop-out rate and the provision of opportunities for the community’s youth to be able to further their education. A request for a boat to transport students was also made.

Among the other matters highlighted was the clarification of land titling, the community’s lease status, land rentals and drainage for backlands. Proposals for agro-processing and boat-building training were also put forward by residents, along with the need for Internet access, a school transport boat, individual firearm licences and solar batteries.

A commitment was also given to have an Internet facility operational by the end of the year y the National Data Management Authority (NDMA).

The director-general assured residents that “No village will be left out of our development planning; even before you ask, we have seen some of the issues that need to be addressed,” he said.

In his interaction with the residents, Minister Rajkumar said the event was in keeping with the mandate of “taking the government to the people”.

He reminded the approximately 200 residents of the small 29,890-acre community on the eastern bank of the Essequibo River to be forthright in their interaction.

Contact details of residents were taken, and promises made that issues that required attention will be relayed to the relevant ministries and agencies. Before the meeting was held, the officials were taken on a tour of the village. The ministers also seized the opportunity to distribute hampers to eight seniors and a quantity of sport gear to the community’s youths.

Also at the meeting were Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara)’s Regional Executive Officer (REO) Jennifer Ferreira-Dougall; officials of its Regional Democratic Council (RDC), and several residents from nearby communities such as Beri-Bissiballi and Baboon Hole.

The community of Aliki was founded in the early 1960s. Most residents there earn a livelihood through logging, farming and fishing. (DPI)