A Director of Youth cannot be appointed until the National Youth Council is appointed, according to Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.
Roopnaraine told Stabroek News that after the appointment of the council, the position would be advertised and the best qualified candidate would be chosen.
Concerns were raised in June after indications that AFC member Trevor Williams was tipped for the post. The position exists within the Department of Culture, Youth and Sports, which is part of the Ministry of Education.
The opposition PPP/C had questioned Williams’ reported appointment, while noting that the Public Service Commission had only recently conducted interviews with a view to hiring qualified persons to fill certain vacancies in the public sector, including the Director of Youth position.
An executive member of the PPP’s youth arm, the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), mounted a legal challenge. Saleesha Gafoor, who was represented by attorney Anil Nandlall, challenged the supposed appointment on the grounds that Williams was not appointed through the Public Service Commission and second that he was not qualified to hold the post.
Previous advertisements for the post of Director of Youth had called for applicants to possess a minimum of a Master’s Degree in a Social Science, with a minimum of two years in youth work, or a Bachelor’s Degree in a Social Science with a minimum of three years in youth work.
