Yesterday, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall S.C, led a Government of Guyana team to unfold the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) on the East Coast of Demerara.
The members of the team were, Joseph Hamilton MP, Minister of Labour and Honourable Oneidge Walrond MP, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
The team met with Neighbourhood Democratic Councillors across the East Coast of Demerara, other local leaders and important stakeholder organisations and enlisted their support as part of the Government’s drive to promote the GOAL programme and to encourage Guyanese from every age group and every ethnicity to apply and to take advantage of the scholarship programme. Two meetings were held yesterday, one at Better Hope/LBI NDC and one at Mon Repos/La Reconnaissance NDC office. All Councillors from the various NDCs on the East Coast of Demerara were invited.
The Attorney General in his remarks highlighted the value of education, reminding that it is the surest way through which a society can exit the vicious cycle of poverty.
“Knowledge is power. Educating is empowering. Our fore-parents made great sacrifices to educate past generations, today, we are fortunate that our Government has assumed that mantle and is offering tertiary education as well as opportunities to qualify oneself to become the beneficiary of tertiary education, with the government fully paying for the initiative. Importantly, these studies will not interfere with your regular day-to-day activities and will be done online. The Universities selected are Institutions that are widely credited.”
The Attorney General also asserted, “Most importantly, this programme has nothing to do with politics. It is designed to benefit every single Guyanese, regardless of race or politics. I do not want politics to contaminate this exercise. That is why we are making every effort to ensure that every village is targeted in this initiative. So in the end, if I hear any allegation that some segment of our population was deliberately excluded, I must be able to confidently say ‘that is a lie’.”
Minister Nandlall indicated that the NDC Councillors and local leaders are targeted to promote the programme because they are the local leaders on the ground whose work carries them into the corners of every village on the East Coast of Demerara.
A quantity of flyers, application forms and other paraphernalia were distributed to those in attendance with instructions that they be disseminated into the villages.
The Attorney General outlined that teams will do walkabouts at popular markets along the East Coast of Demerara to distribute these scholarship application forms as well as the other materials promoting the programme.
A schedule of meetings commencing from Cane Grove to Cummings Lodge was announced to take place from the 17th to the 22nd of May, 2021, in almost every village on the East Coast of Demerara which will be attended by one of the Ministers and a team from the Ministry of Education to receive the application forms as well as to assist persons to fill them, if necessary and to ensure all supporting documents are provided.
Persons were encouraged to use their social media platforms and every mechanism available, including the Mandirs, Churches and Mosques, to promote the programme along the East Coast of Demerara.
