The community’s duty to support education and employment opportunities for young people was emphasised by People’s National Congress Reform Leader David Granger on his recent visit to the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region (No.2).
Granger noted that the current Government’s “mismanagement” of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in deaths and elevated rates of infection in hinterland and rural regions. This has led to a high level of unemployment among young people and, inevitably, non-attendance at school and non-adoption of distance-learning technologies.
Granger reminded villagers that the Coalition Government’s celebrated Public Education Transportation Service (PETS), known popularly as the ‘5Bs’ programme, which provided free transportation to schoolchildren was actually started in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region. The first ever free school boat was launched in the Pomeroon River.
The Party Leader, in keeping with his commitment to improve access to education and attendance at school by young people, presented two bicycles to students who performed well at the recent National Grade Six Assessment examinations. Comwel Lewis of Dartmouth Village won a place at the Anna Regina Multilateral School while Grace Brown of Queenstown Village will attend President’s College.
The former President urged villagers to augment farm production in their Region which was heavily reliant on agriculture for export. He announced that the PNC had established an internal agency for micro-enterprise which will provide equipment, finance, seeds and tools to support village improvement plans. He assured villagers that agriculture and agro-processing were lucrative pathways to overcome the current unemployment crisis.
Granger took the opportunity to congratulate Shurwayne Forbes Kennedy Holder, one of the Coalition’s young cohort of MPs, on his recent election to the National Assembly. He also thanked supporters for their participation at the recent General and Regional Elections and their election as members to the Regional Democratic Council.
The PNCR leader was accompanied by the Party’s General Secretary Amna Ally and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon on the ongoing countrywide village outreach programme.
