President David Granger on Thursday officially declared open the Foundation for Real Christian Education (FORCE) training centre at Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara, where he called for more attention to be paid to youth not in employment, education or training.
“We need to pay attention to persons who are not in education, employment or training and to some extent I expect FORCE is going to be committed to ensuring persons who are not in education, employment or training are given employment and education,” President Granger was quoted as saying in a Ministry of the Presidency report on the opening.
The president commended Desmond Saul, the Principal of the vocational centre, for his hard work in ensuring that the youth of Victoria Village benefit from skills training. He also committed to assisting the school with solar panels.
According to the report, President Granger reminded that Victoria Village is regarded widely as Guyana’s first coastland village and that education, next to economic liberation was the greatest gift freed slaves received.
“African-Guyanese embraced education as a means of providing a better life for themselves, their families and future generations. They supported the establishment of social institutions for education and religious instruction, including by providing lands for building churches and schools,” he said.
He further told those present at the opening that the village has “an essential role in education,” while calling it a shared responsibility.
“Villages, collectively, should bear and share responsibility for the education of children because the most important thing, apart from family, is the education of the child. Villages should ensure that every child is in school. Government’s policy is to provide for every child to access to education, to attend school and to graduate from school. The foundational principle of this policy is “Every child in school (ECIS),” he added.
The ministry said it is the president’s vision to see a school in every village in the future and in order for this to materialise he believes that there must be a model of education which imparts a greater role for entire communities, including churches, in the public educational system.
“The Foundation for Real Christian Education exemplifies that model. It embeds education in the community, holding classes in the community and offering courses that respond to the needs of the community; encourages village involvement in education to ensure school attendance and improve closer relations between teachers and parent; enhances village life with skills for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship; equips young men and women with practical skills to enable them to secure employment; and establishes partnerships with institutions such as the Board of Industrial Training and the Regional Democratic Council,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry said Saul, in outlining the history of the Foundation, recounted that he returned to Guyana in 2002 after living overseas for a number of years. A Victorian, Saul said in October 2003, he utilised the old GRECO building to provide remedial education to youth who were dropping out of the formal education system. “I sought to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged youths. I received support from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and that helped to pay the stipends given to volunteers,” he recounted.
“This building is a monument to the love of God,” he also said, while thanking members of his family for their unwavering support.
Saul, who thanked the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Communities and the Board of Industrial Training for providing support, said that the Foundation’s aim is to enrich the lives of youth as well as senior citizens.
The ministry noted that students who attend the Foundation benefit from training in welding, motor mechanics, home economics, sewing and information technology. The courses range from 16 weeks to as long as one-year. There are approximately 40 students enrolled in the short courses, while approximately 25 are enrolled in the year-long courses.
Meanwhile, the ministry also noted that Evelyn Bacchus, the eldest resident of Victoria, used the occasion of the opening to present the Village’s 177th anniversary commemorative stamp to President Granger.
