Twenty-one students in Bartica, Region Seven, were yesterday presented with bicycles from the government as part of President David Granger’s ‘Buses, Boats and Bicycles’ initiative, which is aimed at ensuring that all of Guyana’s children are able to attend school.
According to a Ministry of the Presidency statement, the bicycles were donated to the programme in December by David and Margaret Enterprise, of Potaro, Mahdia, Region Eight and Kent Phillips of Antarctic Maintenance and Repairs in Georgetown.
Two boats and a 30-seater bus are also expected to be added to this complement before the end of the year to provide transportation assistance to the children of the region, it added.
Students of the Three Miles Secondary and the Bartica Secondary in the region are the beneficiaries of the donation. The Regional Educational Officer and the headmistresses of the schools selected the beneficiaries based on the distance the students had to travel from home to attend school, among other factors.
First Lady Sandra Granger and Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally, who is overseeing the programme, presented the bicycles to the students at a simple ceremony held at the Bartica Secondary School.
The Ministry said the First Lady charged the students to take care of the bicycles, while noting that it must serve to strengthen their resolve and drive to pursue their education. “The onus is on you, the children, now to prove that you value your education and to take advantage of the education that can propel all of us here in Guyana to a better future. There is no room for school dropouts; there is no room for any child dropping through [the] cracks in our education system,” she was quoted as saying.
Minister Ally added that her Ministry, through the Ministry of Education, will be monitoring the attendance and performance records of the students who have benefitted under the initiative to ensure that it is effective.
To date, five boats and a number of bicycles have been handed over to several communities across the country under the programme. The president is also expected to commission a number of buses within this month.
The ‘Boats, Buses and Bicycles’ initiative began in July, 2015, when President Granger celebrated his 70th birthday and made a call for support to ensure that transportation is provided so that children can get to school safely and comfortably. Since then, there has been a tremendous national response, with private citizens and businesses donating boats and engines and bicycles to the programme.
