51 graduate from UG’s Collaborative 16-Week Digital Literacy and Data Skills Prog.

Sep 03, 2022 News

Level 1Best Graduating Student, Makida Noordwyk

Kaieteur News – The University of Guyana (UG), in collaboration with the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD), recently hosted a virtual graduation ceremony for the Second Cohort of 51 students from six Administrative Regions of Guyana.

The youths, according to a UG press release, participated in a 16-week programme in Digital Literacy and Data Skills Training Programme. The programme is ongoing and is being facilitated by UG staff in collaboration with Mona School of Business and Management and the Caribbean School of Data.

In her testimonial, a Level One graduate, Ms. Makida Noordwyk, said: “I love the teachers and how they handled the classes. The students were really great, and they were very encouraging. I am very happy I signed up and was able to complete the course.”

Mr. Garvon Douglas, another Level One graduate said: “I was very delighted with the conduct of the overall course. The method they used to teach us was very engaging and motivated me. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone.”

Ms. Sarika Prasad, another graduate, alluded that the Digital Literacy Skills Training Programme was her first online learning experience. She expressed, “I believe it is important for everyone to be skilled in navigating the digital landscape; the digital literacy and data skills training programme provides the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Level Two graduate, Ms. Maheswarie Nandram stated: “The Digital Literacy and Data Skills Training Programme was an interactive and informative experience as the facilitators were knowledgeable and were always willing to help.”

The top five performers for Level One were: Makida Noordwyk, Sarika Prasad, Garvon Douglas, Omadele Layne and Taheer Budhu.

The top five performers for Level Two were: Maheswarie Nandram, Shiv Sooklall, Dalia Araujo, Davindra Bridgemohan and Kristy Perreira.

Two other awards were given, one of which is the Bryn Bowen Award. The Bryn Bowen Award comes from Mr. Bryn Bowen, a US-based Guyanese and serves as a Data Governance Consultant who covers the data fundamentals module during the course. This award was presented to Mr. Mateus Parker.

The Phillip Gajadhar Award, which was awarded for second place went to a group of students – Deoraj Husain, Lemuel Sampson, Davindra Bridgmohan, Kristy Perreira, and Dalia Araujo.

During the momentous event, Vice-Chancellor, XI, of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, in her remarks took the opportunity to extend warm greetings and congratulations to the graduates. The VC also extended sincere thanks to the coordinators and all other resource persons of the programme for all their efforts in ensuring that the programme is successful.

Level 2 Best Graduating Student, Maheswarie Nandram

The VC said, “The skills that you would have learned are what we consider to be real. Current trends are not going to be reversed. We are committed to creating a workforce designed to figuring out what is required of people now and in the foreseeable future. It is very important to note that there is a real need for many persons with digital skills. So UG is happy to support that.”

The Caribbean School of Data representative, Dr. Michael McNaughton extended warm greetings and congratulations to the graduates. Dr. McNaughton said, “The training and skills you have acquired from this programme is relevant as we seek to pursue the new norm of the emerging digital economy. As digital ecosystem and data is going to become quite important tools for you cohorts as you move forward.”

The University of Guyana, Department of Computer Sciences, Head of Department, Dr. Max Baird, in his remarks told the graduates: “Graduation today is not just an end goal for you; I trust that you will be life learners and see this as a crucial stepping stone into a much larger part of life.”

Dr. Baird encouraged the graduates to strive for excellence in all that they do. “There is always going to be a journey, and there is always going to be a further point of achievement, but I hope this graduation serves as a good launching point that will propel you to wherever the near future is meant to take you,” he said.