Sixty-two students, who completed their secondary, tertiary and technical education under the Hinterland Scholarship Programme, graduated on Wednesday.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai and Permanent Secretary Nigel Dharamlall joined parents and other well-wishers at the graduation ceremony, which was hosted at the Amerindian Village at the Sophia Exhibition Complex, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. Graduates received certificates and other awards for consistent academic performance, including for best all rounder, most improved and best behaved students, GINA said.
In her feature address, Sukhai said the programme has come a long way. “Government has moved the scholarship programme from just a hinterland scholarship which benefited Amerindian students to all the hinterland students who have completed their primary education and have exceeded at the National Grade Six Assessment,” she said.
According to Sukhai, the programme has been boosted by other government services, including the construction of a dormitory at Liliendaal, which is a great indicator of how it has progressed. “Today, we see that the hinterland population is becoming a more educated one; we have seen all the hinterland students now have access to primary education… and that speaks volumes to efforts and investments that government has put towards educating our population,” she said.
Sukhai was optimistic that secondary education in the hinterland will expand and offer better programmes as government plans to expand education across the country, with the goal of providing universal education by 2015, bringing Guyana on par with some other developed countries. She was also hopeful that “infrastructure and facilities, which the government has so many challenges with, in the hinterland, would also be expanded and improved.”
On hearing the students praise the programmes, Sukhai said she was humbled by their gratitude and encouraged them to pursue higher education and to remember to help their respective communities.
GINA said the programme offers hinterland students who gain between 470 and 479 marks at the National Grade Six Assessment a regional scholarship while those who score above 480 are given national scholarships and the opportunity to attend secondary school in Georgetown.
The students are also given the option of attending a secondary school in their region.
Best Graduating Student Abiram Edwins received a cash incentive, courtesy of Annette Arjoon-Martins and her husband Dave Martins as well as a copy of their book, ‘The Amerindian Way.’ The cash incentive will now be an annual feature of the graduation ceremony supported by the Martins.
The graduates at the secondary level are Region One’s Gabriel Santiago, and Renaldo Carrington; Region Two’s Hafeez Butters, Jumal Jacobus, Teshauna Jaye, Natoya Jeffrey, Tiara Marslow, Keanu Russell, Romario Williams, Shevon Williams and Yussuf Salim; Region Three’s Pulmattie Doolall and Bhramanand Rambharose; Region Four’s Jonathan Kissoon, Vinod Simon, Pablo Cupid, Cononiah Smartt-Jupiter, Ray Barker, Lisa Cornelius, Saskiya Ali-Inshanally, Otis Chase, Crystal Denny, Em James and Fernando Barretto Pereira; Region Six’s Rodrick Smith; Region Seven’s Tracy Chappelle, Keisha Charles-Malttay, Francie Jerry and Yogi Sookram; Region Eight’s Maylene Franciso and Debra Roth; Region Nine’s Shunova Carmicheal, Vaughn Duncan, Kevin Henry, Jermey Jacobus, Charles Jones, Mariza Mansingh, Kimberlee Yow and Karen Singh; and Region Ten’s Tonia Fraser, Altiya Gilkes, Colin Hartman, Nick Edwards and Ronel Evans.
Graduates at the tertiary/technical level are Liza Pio, Alira Rupert William, Dwight Allicock, Kenlevius Joseph, Johnny Williams, Sherry Anicetus, Michael Banfus, Abiram Edwins, Peter Franciso, Shavon Joseph, Francine Martin, Lincoln Pereira, Alicia Williams, Onisha Xavier, Ernesto John, Clinton O’Neil, Emily Williams and Odessa Paul.
