At the launching of the Computer Training Centre at Albion, Corentyne yesterday, sugar workers and their children were urged to keep up-to-date with information technology.
The centre is equipped with 20 computer systems which have been set up at the Albion Community Complex and the free training courses hosted at the facility can accommodate about 100 students at different sessions.
Teacher, Seerojnie Permaul told Stabroek News that the six-month courses include studies in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. She said the first session started in September with just three computers and 23 students.
The next session, she said, would commence on February 14.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud told the gathering that the investment is costing the government “millions of dollars” but noted that every dollar was “well spent…” since “the country at the end of the day would get value for money.”
Similar centres have been established at all of the other estates.
Persaud blasted “the critics and those who are idle,” saying that they would “tomorrow [today] write in the newspapers or go on the television and say ‘here you go again, the PPP [People’s Progressive Party] government putting more money in sugar workers.’” He further said, “Not only are we putting billions of dollars in the sugar industry or as we did two weeks ago, $2B that we could have made the payout and cover some other bills-we intend to put more billion dollars this year….”
He said to the critics “without any apology that we will not in any way shy away from investing in our sugar workers….”
Apart from the support and investment in the sugar industry, government is also spending close to $1.2 B to bring a fibre optic cable from Brazil so as to avoid depending on one company.
This way, Persaud said, citizens would not have to pay large sums and be affected by the “digital gap where only those who can afford to pay can have access” to technology. The cable would also be taken to all parts of the country, including remote areas.
He reminded the gathering of government’s commitment “to spend US$30M on the one-laptop-per-family programme through a package arrangement [internet and training] so it becomes sustainable for families.” He also reflected on the pathways of successful countries like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan which saw a growth in the economy. He noted that it was due to investments in education, and particularly in the area of information and communication. In his address, General Secretary of the PPP Donald Ramotar said that “the future belongs to new types of technology that are taking over….”
He said, “Possibilities are now existing where children or people in the war zone… can be educated through the new technology.”
Lamenting that it is “fitting to have it [training] at GuySuCo…,” Ramotar said sugar is the first industry to be established in the country and has made a major contribution to development. It was also the first industry to provide training for managers and technical skills in Guyana, he said.
He pointed out that with the new revolution in information communication technology, sugar workers should have the first opportunity to learn. He said the investment put in the country was directed to benefit masses of people. The function was chaired by Regional Chairman of Region Six Zulfikar Mustapha. Also making brief remarks were GuySuCo Deputy Chief Executive Officer Rajendra Singh, General Secretary (GS) of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union, Seepaul Narine and GS of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees, Kenneth Joseph.
They complimented Persaud and the government for the initiative, which they dubbed “historic.”
