–President Ali says at launch of $51M refurbished Physics and Chemistry Laboratories and Staff Room of St. Stanislaus College; calls for innovation fund to support students

AS the government continues to place emphasis on fostering better education for the leaders of tomorrow, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has started to push for the establishment of an innovation fund to support student-led innovation and entrepreneurship at St. Stanislaus College.
He made those remarks on Tuesday evening during his address at the launch and dedication ceremony of the $51 million refurbished Physics and Chemistry Laboratories and Staff Room of St. Stanislaus College.
Since assuming office in 2020, the Ali-led administration has set forth on the path to stimulating a more innovative learning environment for children from all ten administrative regions.

In doing so, the government has outlined and targetted the gaps within the sector. And more so, initiatives have been rolled out to integrate technology into the development of education.
As the efforts continue to address education needs, the President said: “I also want to say that I would like to support an innovation fund for St. Stanislaus College scholars, and for us to create a new fund… And I know many persons will be willing to contribute to that fund, where we encourage innovation,

and have the children of this institution coming up with innovative ideas; ideas of entrepreneurship, product development, developing new scientific models through research and development, through critical thinking, through innovative thinking.”
He said that an internal competition should be launched, and this can aid the institution in championing innovation, new product development, and technology, since this will shape the school’s current and future state.

Dr. Ali then said: “And I want us all to commit to this innovation fund, and to ensure that we use innovation as a tool to encourage our students to be the best they can be in the future.”
He added: “This is something that I’ve seen in many institutions across the globe. In India, where the concentration is on STEM, in the colleges, out of the Innovation Fund, they have what we call the business development grants, and that is where the innovation fund must lead to.

“So, when we have students who can come up with a creative idea here, you must be able to work with them on making that idea viable; bankable, and then taking them through the process of building out that idea, so that it can become a growing asset for them and a product of an institution.”

TIMELY SHIFT
The Head of State, a St. Stanislaus College alumnus, continued to present his visions which will uphold the institution’s values and traditions, and also aid it in adapting to today’s rapidly evolving landscape.
The President said: “This place is special because of the experience, because of the orientation, because of the values, because of the system of education that is delivered in this institution and we must never change that. We must never change what separates us. We must never change what mould us.”

Dr. Ali noted that the launch is much more than “brick and mortar” or “burners and lab equipment,” as this project signifies the commitment to the notion that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is needed to bolster Guyana’s economy, which is undergoing an unprecedented development.

He went on to say: “I want to challenge the Board and the teachers of this institution to ensure that this school remains relevant to national development; that whatever we do in this institution that it is linked to national development, that is linked to innovation, creativity, that is linked to creating

inclusion for the children of this school that is married to where the country is going, the projection of the country that is important.”

The President then went on to underline the value of incorporating new areas of development, which can ensure well-rounded human resource development. He said that the board of the institution must not shy away from establishing an understanding of what should and should not be done.
Dr. Ali recognised the integral role that extra-curricular activities play in the economy, especially as Guyana goes through a transformative shift.

With that said, the President said that in order for this strategy to be supported, in the secondary schools, students must be identified so that they can be shaped earlier on in their lives to take leadership in areas such as oil-and-gas and hospitality.
“So, to meet these challenges, we need a new generation of graduates proficient in STEM education. It is not enough to have dreams of progress; we must have the skills and knowledge to build those dreams into reality, and where better to start than here within the walls of St. Stanislaus College, where a legacy of excellence already exists,” he said.

As the President called for the sense of national pride to be upheld even in the studies, he said that a new ecosystem within the institution should be created.
To put it plainly, he said that the new ecosystem should confront the challenges and opportunities of the future, and it must position the institution to be ahead of those disparities.

According to him, the institution should also be leading in the areas of environment, climate, and biodiversity studies, along with the integration of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) so that the children can understand what national leaders, like himself, mean when they say that they want Guyana to be the leader in climate, energy and food security.