Dear Editor, Our teachers are the educators of Guyana’s future generation. It is they who are responsible for educating the nation. Teachers, however, have remained on the lower end of the income bracket for a long time. Subsequent salary increases by the government have helped to better this, but there still remain many challenges that teachers experience. The government, in an understanding with the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), has reached another five-year comprehensive package agreement to better these conditions, and ultimately enhance the quality of teaching in Guyana. With this…
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The Hauraruni project should be used as a model in other communities
Dear Editor, I have been avidly following your editorial column, and would like to express my views in support of the ones you mentioned concerning the need for agriculture diversification in order to lift communities out of poverty, and to ensure that Guyana is food secure. I have noted, with interest, the recent visit by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and USAID Mission Director Carol Horning to one of those projects operating under the Guyana Trade and Investment Support Programme (GTIS) and supported by USAID, and I was encouraged by…
Read MoreNo place for racism in our society
Dear Editor, I read in your newspaper that the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is in the process of investigating alleged racist comments made by Mr Tacuma Ogunseye of the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA), during a public meeting on the East Coast Demerara sometime last month. Mr Ogunseye was quoted in sections of the media as making statements which, in my view, warrant condemnation by all stakeholders. I do not wish to repeat those statements, as it would not be wise to give further publicity to what was already widely…
Read MoreTurtle conservation field station commissioned at Almond Beach
Turtle conservation efforts here have been further strengthened with the commissioning of a field station at Almond Beach in Region One on May14. The field station is outfitted with Internet service, solar power supply, and a library; and training will be provided in conservation strategies and ICT. A multi-purpose guest house is also currently under construction, which can be used to accommodate visitors to the beach, workshops, and function as a hub for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project. These were made possible through funding from Eerepami Rainforest Foundation,…
Read MoreHolding ourselves accountable
Sections of the media in Guyana have recently, once again, come under the spotlight for crossing the boundary line; and questions have begun to be raised about the role of the media in building and maintaining a democratic, fair and peaceful society. We take a brief look today at the role of the media, and how well the media have been fulfilling those expectations, considering the fact that the media act as a public watchdog on behalf of the people, and always hold others accountable for their actions. All of…
Read MoreEU to give Gy$5.62B to boost local sugar industry
The European Union (EU) has signed a financial agreement with the Guyana government to provide an additional 18.8 million Euros (Gy$5.62 billion) this year to boost development of the local sugar industry. This forms part of the framework of the “Accompanying Measures” to changes in the EU trade regime with sugar protocol countries. As a result of the trade reform, which took effect in 2007, Guyana’s sugar is facing a 36 per cent cut in price on the European market. The EU office in Guyana announced the signing on Tuesday,…
Read MoreDiamond sugar workers to receive Gy$300M severance package
President Bharrat Jagdeo has announced a Gy$300 million severance package for workers of the disbanded Diamond sugar estate, saying this was a better option than for them to wait for a court procedure that could drag out for years. Sugar workers are expected to receive their payour by June of this year. He made the commitment during a meeting with the workers, who had filed a class action lawsuit against GuySuCo demanding severance pay. Speaking to hundreds of sugar workers at the Diamond Secondary School on May 17, Jagdeo said:…
Read MoreGuyanese observe Indian Arrival Day in New York
By Vishnu Bisram The Upper New York Chapter of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), comprising of mainly Guyanese persons, celebrated its third anniversary, and Indian Arrival Day, with a dinner and dance at the World Fair Marina at Flushing, New York on May 14. The gala event was well attended by more than 200 members and supporters of GOPIO, including GOPIO International officials Ashook Ramsaran and Dr Thomas Abraham. Both officials brought greetings from the parent organization, and congratulated the Upper New York chapter for its…
Read MoreCaricom Heads to examine governance model at Mazaruni retreat
Caricom Heads will meet this weekend to work out a new governance structure to guide the more than two decades old regional integration movement. The meeting will take place at the BK Quarry in Mazaruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), Guyana. The retreat was planned at the heads of government meeting earlier this year in Grenada and was agreed upon following a proposal by President Bharrat Jagdeo. At his weekly post-Cabinet briefing, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon disclosed that the main item on the agenda would be refocusing and…
Read MoreGovt mulls relaunching national airline
The government of Guyana may soon re-enter the airline business as the demand for another carrier for the North American route increases. In an interview with Guyana Times International on May 14, Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad said there is serious consideration ongoing to relaunch a national airline. According to the minister, most of the flights for the summer holidays in and out of Guyana are already booked, despite Delta Airlines adding an extra flight to its schedule; and there are thousands of persons wishing to come to Guyana but are…
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