• Minister Parag champions skills training for national growth

EDUCATION Month 2025 rose to an inspiring start on Tuesday with the launch of ‘What’s in the Oven?’, Guyana’s first-ever school bake-off competition, blending tradition with innovation to highlight the role of technical skills in national development.

The event, hosted by EdYou FM under the Ministry of Education, was staged at the Beterverwagting Practical Instruction Centre and saw spirited participation from Christianburg Wismar Secondary, Queen’s College, and West Demerara Secondary School.

The young contestants—each pursuing Food, Nutrition & Health at the CSEC level—impressed their peers, teachers, and judges with inventive baking creations. Though the competition ended without an overall winner, the excitement continues with finals scheduled for a later date. Queen’s College, however, was eliminated in the opening round.
For Sonia Parag, making her first public address since being appointed Minister of Education, the bake-off was more than a fun contest—it was a symbol of the new direction the ministry is charting.

“Academics is what people often strive for,” she noted. “But you’re seeing a growing interest in technical skills, a growing participation, and a growing investment in technical training.”
Parag likened technical skills to a “rubber band” that stretches a student’s possibilities, offering flexibility across careers. Whether students choose law, medicine, or chart paths in hospitality, culinary arts, or food science, she stressed the importance of becoming an “all-rounder.”
She credited President Irfaan Ali’s administration for expanding vocational opportunities through significant investments in training facilities. “Technical training gives you that leverage to make sure that you can not only learn one skill. It equips you as an all-rounder,” Parag said, adding that such skills complement—not compete with—traditional academics.
With Guyana undergoing rapid transformation and new industries reshaping the economy, Parag highlighted the growing importance of hospitality and tourism. “No longer are people just looking at being an engineer or doctor. They’re now seeing tangible opportunities in hospitality, where food preparation and service are central,” she explained. She underscored that consistent quality in food and service must extend across all ten administrative regions.

The competition’s theme, Quality Education for National Development, anchored her message. “In the next five years, the education sector is going to be the most important sector towards national development,” Parag affirmed. “Quality education will determine the kind of development that we have nationally. And it’s not just in academics, but it also will be in skills training.”
As she settles into her new portfolio, Minister Parag pledged to build on ongoing reforms to ensure equitable access and opportunities for all students. “I will try my utmost best and at 100% to give this sector what it deserves in terms of transformation and to honouring His Excellency’s vision,” she said. “But more importantly, to ensuring that our children are going to get the benefits and will have the opportunities accessible to all, to ensuring that they are growing as human beings and as individuals.”
For the students who swapped textbooks for mixing bowls on Tuesday, ‘What’s in the Oven?’ was not just about perfecting recipes—it was about baking their way into a future where skills and academics rise together, offering Guyana a richer and more diverse path to development.