Prime Minister Samuel Hinds recently visited the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) at Onderneeming, Essequibo, Region Two, and toured the facility where he reviewed its general development, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported on Tuesday.
The NOC is manned by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and has
been offering courses in various areas to train juveniles, who have been sent there through a court order for delinquent acts.
The aim is to instill discipline and provide them with academic and vocational ventures, GINA noted.
The Prime Minister was greeted by acting Centre Administrator of NOC, Ayodele Olutunde who outlined the list of programmes offered to the youths, including electrical installation, handicraft, welding, carpentry and masonry.
Prime Minister Hinds viewed the farming area where agricultural practices are part of the curriculum.
He said he was impressed that agriculture was introduced as part of the NOC’s programme, as children can acquire another type of skill in the sector that is important to the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, Hinds was also shown the information technology laboratory where computer classes are being offered to the students.
The NOC, Guyana’s only juvenile correctional centre, was initially established as a disciplinary centre for young males, under the name the Essequibo Boys’ School. It was renamed the New Opportunity Corps in the 1970s.
