FOCUS ON GUYANA’S FIRST PEOPLE Aishalton residents now accessing free internet $14M nursery school commissioned at Kokshebai, Region Nine

Students

and educators in Aishalton, Deep South Rupununi, Region Nine, now have access to internet connection after officers from the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) facilitated the deployment of cost-free, high-speed internet service to the village.

The equipment was installed at the Aishalton Village Office on March 2, 2023.

Village Toshao, Michael Thomas expressed profound gratitude for the service, noting that it was the first time the village was receiving Wi-Fi service. While the village had previously received data service from Digicel as part of a Ministry of Education plan, difficulties arose when more than 15 persons attempted to connect to the network. “We were paying for a service that didn’t meet the needs of the village,” Thomas said in an interview. He explained that recently, teachers and educators who are part of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) were unable to connect to the internet.

Some of those persons were forced to travel to Lethem for a reliable and stable internet connection to attend their classes, submit assignments and write their examinations.

Others who could not travel were forced to drop out.

“So, with this new system, the village council will monitor the usage of the internet, and priority will be given to persons who require the internet for education purposes— submitting assignments and so forth. So, this will be a big move for Aishalton in terms of attaining internet access,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the village had considered attaining internet connection previously, but it proved to be costly. “So now that NDMA has provided this service, it’s going to benefit us greatly. I would like to give a big thank you to them, and the Government of Guyana for providing this service,” he expressed.

The village’s proposed Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub will be located at the village office.

Pupilsin Kokshebai, South Pakaraimas will no longer have to walk for miles to receive an education with the commissioning of a brandnew school right in their village.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand along with Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall ,officially commissioned the Kokshebai Nursery School, recently, during a visit to the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo region.

The Kokshebai Nursery School was constructed by Osbert Rebeiro at a cost of $14 million.

Previously, the pupils manoeuvred the rough terrains for more than five miles as they travelled to Taushida, a neighbouring village to receive an education.

Delivering remarks, Minister Manickchand stated that ensuring each child receives an education regardless of their geographic location remains a top priority for the Government. She told parents that the Government firmly believes that once given the resources, the children of the hinterland can achieve the same success as those on the coastland. She further stated that constructing a school is only part of giving children a strong education, the other part is ensuring there are trained teachers in each classroom. The education minister highlighted that additionally, the Ministry’s Breakfast programme will be extended to the village, textbooks will be given to each pupil and in July, each school aged child will receive $40,000 through the Because We Care cash grant programme.

Minister Dharamlall noted that this is part of the Government’s agenda to ensure every citizen benefits from the rapid development is taking place.

While in the village, Ministers Manickchand and Dharamlall commissioned a health facility. This will ease the villagers’ burden of travelling to other neighbouring villages to access basic healthcare.

Seven acres of land set aside for construction of homes in Region One

The government has set aside some 17 acres of land in Mabaruma, Region One, for the construction of homes targeting young professionals in the area.

This was announced by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal who explained that the initiative is part of the government’s turn-key programme which aims to provide Guyanese with opportunities for affordable housing. “Many of the young people and many of the persons who are working within the mainstream of the region can pay for a house through the banking system. We will start that this year,” he said. He said infrastructure projects, including land clearance are included in the recently passed budget.

Additionally, under the Hinterland Housing Programme, 100 houses will be constructed targeting vulnerable families from 10 communities across Region One.

Minister Croal said the homes will be constructed free of cost and beneficiaries will only be required to provide some of the labour during the construction phase. “Here within the Mabaruma Sub-Region, we have three communities that have been identified and I can name one tonight for example we have started the process in Smith creek because we need to rectify that area,” he informed the residents.

In December last year, 31 persons who were allocated lands at Kokerital Hill received their Certificates of Title after several years of waiting.

These initiatives are a part of the government’s plan to guarantee an equitable opportunity for hinterland residents. Similar initiatives are underway in Bartica, Region Seven, and Lethem, Region Nine.