Guyana’s first lady launches ICT course in Rupununi
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The optician knows his
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owned and operated stores
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“I started the company
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fifteen years ago,” says Appelbaum.
Caribbean L 26 ife, April 26–May 2, 2019
In just a short
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As people age, they often
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Eyeglass Direct 4909 Avenue
N between 49th Street
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(718) 444–1092, www.
eyeglassdirect.com Open
Mondays through Fridays, 9
am to 6 pm, and Saturdays
from 10 am to 4 pm.
BUS INES S , B ROOKLYN S T Y LE
Eyeglass Direct offers quality products at low prices
By Tangerine Clarke
First Lady of Guyana, H. E.
Sandra Granger, on Tuesday,
April 23, launched the first ever
Information Communication
Technology Training course, a
Ministry of Social Protection’s
Board of Institution workshop,
to better prepare students of
the Bina Hill Institute Youth
Learning Centre, (YLC) Upper
Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Region 9, for the growing world
of technology.
The program, in collaboration
with the Office of the First
Lady and the Ministry of Social
Protection for Youth Development,
was a welcomed initiative
for the predominately indigenous
peoples community, that
Granger has worked assiduously
to educate.
Granger said she was happy
and honored to be blazing a
trail in that, for the first time,
students of the remote Rupununi
village, will receive nationally
recognized certification.
As such, she said it is vitally
important that students pay
attention to what will be taught
during the three-week program,
and urged the 34 in attendance
to absorb the knowledge
of technology, that will lead to
employment opportunities.
“I always say, I don’t want
to conduct a workshop where
people get a piece of paper and
put it in a drawer. The workshop
must lead to development
for people who take part in it,
young people like yourselves,
and older people, who take part
in childcare and senior care
workshops,” noted Granger.
“I look at how technology is
developing, and encroaching on
our lives. It is estimated by 2050,
half of our jobs would be done
by robots,” said Granger, adding,
“We need to start thinking
how we will fit into the scheme
of things, ensuring we are not
left just catching up, but staying
in front of programming,
fixing computers, and looking
to drone technology for our
crops and agricultural projects,
and using robots in medicine,”
while, noting the importance
of digitizing records for safe
keeping.
Granger encouraged the students
to make use of the skills
that could be offered and better
used to help their communities.
She thanked those who
have supported her initiative,
stating that her office does not
receive funding, and promised
Dr. Laureen Pierre, principal of
the (YLC), to seek outside donations,
some that could possibly
come from the diaspora, where
citizens would be willing to give
laptops to the institution.
ICT instructor, Fitzroy
Younge, thanked Granger for
making the workshop available
to the most vulnerable group in
the community- adolescence,
stating that the FL believes
that ICT fosters poverty alleviation,
as it is the new frontier of
change.
Adding that the immense
potential of ICT can never be
over emphasized, and Granger,
through her initiative, has
demonstrated that IT will never
be restrained from reaching
communities such as Anni.
Dr. Pierre said the launching
of the program was a new
beginning for YFC and thanked
the first lady for moving the
institute forward.
Students pose after the launch of the fi rst ever ICT board certifi ed program at Bina Hill
Institute Young Learning Centre, Village of Annai Central, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Region 9, Rupununi savannah. Front row seated, from left, Oveanne Manswell, Shania Arthur,
Carl Parker, Laureen Pierre, principal. First Lady, H.E. Sandra Granger, Fitzroy Younge,
Emily Allicock, and Lt. Cornel Yvonne Smith. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
/www.eyeglassdirect.com
/www.eyeglassdirect.com
/eyeglassdirect.com