STUDENTS in Grades 10, who are exemplars in sports and academic performance, or who show great leadership qualities, mental qualities, self-control and sociability will stand a chance to win US$1,000 in the first-ever Guyana-China Friendship Youth Leadership Development Award.
The award was launched on Friday.
The Ministry of Education and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Guyana on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the award, which will see 11 students, one from each school district, receiving one this year. Each winner from the 11 Education Districts will also win US$1,000.
Based on the evaluation of this year’s competition, the embassy will actively consider making the initiative a national annual programme.
“The leadership programme will take the form of a competition that will focus on three areas: a community-based project, critique of a work of art and the participation in sport activities such as athletics, gymnastics, dance and swimming. This is according to the administrator of the Unit of Allied Arts, Ms. Lorraine Barker-King,” a statement issued by the MoE on Friday said.

Though the competition was expected to be open to students from Grades Eight to Grade 11, due to the COVID-19 school closures, each of the 11 education districts will instead shortlist eight Grade 10 students to participate in the competition.
The ministry noted that the decision to go with the Grade 10 students was because only Grade 10 students are physically attending school.
Though public schools are currently closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools are partially open for students of Grades 10, 11 and 12 to attend, as these levels are preparing for their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.
“Students will be shortlisted based on the following criteria: participation in sports, academic performance, leadership qualities, mental qualities, self-control, sociability and social action and participation in clubs and societies,” the ministry said.
During Friday’s ceremony, Barker-King said the programme will contribute significantly to the future development of Guyana.
She said that the staff of the Unit of Allied Arts have been assigned the task of executing the competition and promised that it will be done at the standard that is normally exemplified by the MoE.

DEVELOPING ROUNDED CITIZENS
Also present at Friday’s ceremony was Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who conveyed the ministry’s gratitude to be able to partner with China for execution of the programme. She noted that the partnership advances the MoE’s belief in developing rounded citizens.
“Anything that could help us advance that process is always welcomed,” Minister Manickchand remarked.
She said further that across Guyana there are many examples of students who try hard to do their best academically and at being excellent citizens.
Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Chen Xilai, said he was happy to participate in the launching ceremony.
He said that it is very important for young people to be given opportunities and that China values education, and therefore his country is glad to assist the education sector in Guyana.

Xilai explained that the Leadership Programme came out of discussions held with MoE Special Projects Officer, Dr. Jacob Opadeyi.
He said: “We hope that this award will inspire the Guyanese students to have a dream and exemplify in their studies [and] grow up to be future leaders in various fields in Guyana and contribute to national development.”
He also highlighted that the programme is also a great example of the Guyana-China Friendship relationship.
Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson, was also present at Friday’s launch and described it as an important event. He said that the award programme is significant at this time as it allows Guyanese students to remain engaged even during a pandemic.

He said that the programme will focus on moral values, intelligence, sports, artistic values and community service. He believes that a programme of this nature will give students the impetus to perform and allow them to see themselves differently and realise that their life should not be confined to academia.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alfred King, said across Guyana in the 11 Education Districts, students will experience exposure to leadership that will allow them to develop a balanced lifestyle that will complement their academic pursuits. He said that the Ministry of Education values the partnership, since it will help to enhance the delivery of quality education across Guyana.