–launches coders initiative for over 150,000 youths

GUYANA’s Coder’s initiative (GCI), the first of its kind in the country, was, on Wednesday, launched by Dr. President Irfaan Ali, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

The programme, which is a collaboration between Guyana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will see 150,000 youths being provided with the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in technology.

In his address to the hundreds of pupils and students who were gathered at the launch ceremony, the Head-of-State said the initiative comes off the cusp of Guyana’s economic transformation, which they, the youths, play a vital role in developing.

“This step is about you, this step is about you taking our country forward to 2030 and beyond, ensuring that you are competitive, you’re resilient, you’re functional, ensuring that we as a country have the tools that would take us forward, that would ensure that our economy is among the strongest,” President Ali said.

Further, he noted that GCI would feed into other initiatives and programmes that the government is undertaking.

He said some of these initiatives include creating remote medicine hubs, more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hubs, and SMART classrooms for children.

“You are the ones we have to invest in. You have to carry the skill set, you have to carry the knowledge, and you have to carry the technology.”

The programme, he noted, will not only be limited to Guyana. The government, he said, is in talks with its UAE partners to extend the programme to other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states.

“This coding project must be one that is available to all of our brothers and sisters in the CARICOM region and Guyana is ready and willing to be that hub at the work and partnership with UAE to make this programme available to all of the young people in the region,” the Head-of-State said.

He further said the programme will prepare Guyana’s youth for a technology-focused workforce, helping the country achieve its developmental goals.

“We are starting way behind the race, but we’re taking the big leap, and we are going to fight at the front of the race and trying to make up all the lost time.”

Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand stated that the programme would be available to youths all across the country, offering skills training that has never before been offered in Guyana.

“This programme that we launch with our partners today will allow more than 15000 Guyanese from all over regardless of your geographical region, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of religion, regardless of age. It is going to allow all of Guyana to access the ability to learn to code.”

Ms Manickchand noted that the advent of the coronavirus (COVID-19) highlighted the need for a more technology-based curriculum. As such, she pointed out that the government will continue to make investments such as the GCI programme to advance its youths.

Minister Manickchand underscored that the pandemic created an environment for the blending of traditional face-to-face learning with new digital methods of teaching and learning, including through the ZOOM platform.

In offering remarks, the Director General of the Office of the Prime Minister of the UAE, Abdullah Lootah, explained that children will benefit from three years of training and will receive internationally recognised certificates.

The UAE representative further urged those who were gathered to take advantage of the programme and the various skills offered.