Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 26, 2010 News
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that 95 percent of Amerindian children could not dream of a secondary education when the ruling People’s Progress Party/Civic took office in October 1992.
But this is a claim that has been dismissed as “fictitious” by Amerindian Parliamentarian, Dr George Norton. At the opening of the fourth conference of the National Toshaos Council, Jagdeo spoke about the lack of access to secondary education in the context of the general gap in development between communities on the coast and Amerindian communities in the hinterland. He said the geographic location of hinterland communities has been used as an excuse for the lack of development but that his government has been trying to change this, including access to secondary education.
In 1992, he said the only hope of 95 per cent of Amerindian children was to go to Primary School “and that was the end of it; they couldn’t dream beyond primary school.”
However, he said the government has significantly changed that because of strong commitment to do so.
He said that secondary education is now accessible and while in the past tertiary education might have been a dream with little hope of realization, he referred to a large number of Amerindians who now access tertiary education “with the hundreds we have at the University of Guyana.”
Jagdeo also made reference to the estimated 70 Amerindian students studying overseas, and Amerindians now at the Teachers’ Training College.
He said that this has been done because of the philosophy that “every child in this country matters.”
But Dr Norton, who represents the main opposition People’s National Congress/Reform in Parliament, said that when he was a student at Queen’s College, Amerindian students were listed as contemporaries of late President Forbes Burnham, legal luminary Fred Wills and neurosurgeon Dr Walter Ramsahoye.
“I’ve been through Queen’s College, and we were much more than the five per cent the President is talking about. It is either the president is uninformed or he is misinformed,” said Norton.
He said that as way back as 1968, there were 72 hinterland scholarship students.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 29, 2024
By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – After a series of outstanding performances in 2023, Tianna Springer, dubbed the ‘wonder girl’, is eagerly gearing up to compete in this year’s...Kaieteur News – Good Friday in Guyana is not what it used to be. The day has lost much of its solemnity. The one day... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – In the face of escalating global environmental challenges, water scarcity and... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]