Government takes lead in children and violence project
Georgetown , GINA, May 06, 2005
The national Child Protection Monitoring System in Guyana will be the first in the Caribbean Community and will serve as a model for other CARICOM countries as well as a basis for monitoring all children's issues and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This is according to the “Voice of the Children” report, which was launched on May 4, at Umana Yana in Georgetown by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
The report highlights the incidences of abuse and violence, which are being faced by children in Guyana. According to the report, "Government and its partners understand the urgent need to strengthen and review the child protection and referral systems in Guyana. As such the Children and Violence Project has established a national Child Protection Monitoring System (CMPS) within the Ministry together with technical support from the Bureau of Statistics, CARICOM and other organisations."
The Government of Guyana through the Ministry will be taking the lead role in ensuring the success of the comprehensive child protection monitoring system in Guyana.
The monitoring system will protect children and adolescents from violence through monitoring and surveillance
The report also states that children were interviewed on what should be done to reduce the violence and to make their lives safer. It found that the majority of children wanted greater security through more effective law enforcement. They also suggested more job creation and better parent-children relationship.
UNICEF and the Ministry has established a five-year implementation plan with a two-year pilot phase. This initial phase will cost over $9M.
The Ministry has acquired relevant equipment and it has also hired a Manager to establish a database, which will allow for more effective and efficient Governmental and non-Governmental planning and project implementation and evaluation for children and their families.
In December 2004, a similar project “Growing up with Violence” was launched along with a nation-wide public education campaign aimed at educating children and adults on all forms of violence experienced by children in their homes, schools and communities.
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Special arrangement in place for SSEE- Ministry of Education
Georgetown, GINA, May 06, 2005
The Ministry of Education today announced in a press release that special arrangement has been put in place for the ‘administering of the upcoming Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE) on May 12 and 13’.
The Ministry has therefore issued a circular to all Heads of Departments of Education to remind them to ‘ make specialeffort to ensure that the best possible conditions are provided for pupils who will be writing the SSEE’.
According to the Ministry, the following schools will be closed to facilitate this exercise:
- All Primary Schools
- All Nursery classes housed in a Primary school
- Nursery Schools sharing the same compound with Primary Schools which would be used as a centre
- Any Secondary school earmarked for use as an SSEE centre
The Ministry has authorized Heads of Education Departments to use their initiative to make any other arrangement that would assist in the smooth administration of the SSEE.
Over 18,000 pupils will be writing the SSEE this year.
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Agriculture Minister to hand out land leases to Region 5 farmers
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2005
Farmers and residents of Mahaicony Creek will receive land leases from Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Other Crops and Livestock Satyadeow Sawh when he visits the area tomorrow.
According to a release from the Agriculture Ministry, the handing over exercise will take place at the Karamat Primary School.
The distribution of the leases is expected to further boost agricultural production in the Mahaicony Creek and surrounding areas.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary/Agricultural Development Authority and senior officials of the Region Five Administration are expected to attend.
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Many turn out to cash flood relief cheques as Secretariat speeds up distribution process
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2005
Scores of persons today cashed their $10,000 flood relief cheques at the Bank of Guyana, Georgetown, as the Planning, Recovery and Implementation Secretariat speeds up the cheque distribution process.
Government has been lauded for offering some respite in the wake of the disastrous January flood, which affected thousands of Guyanese.
The distribution of cheques began on April 16, in Annadale and Buxton villages, and to date more than 20,000 cheques have been handed out to affected households.
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Major boost in the forestry sector
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2005
The establishment of a Forest Products Marketing Council (FPMC) for timber exporters in Guyana will soon be realised.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) are stakeholders in this project which will cost some $130,000 US.
At a media briefing today held at the Agriculture Ministry, the Minister of Agriculture, Satyadeow Sawh explained that with the Marketing Council, Guyana’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) will increase. He said that the wood producers in Guyana are excited at this new venture noting that their production will be increased.
The Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Harripersaud Nokta welcomes the initiative noting that it will create more employment.
The products will also be marketed to tourists who visit Guyana, said the Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Manzoor Nadir. He added that they will take back with them information of the high quality of woods that are available in Guyana.
The FPMC will help to further make timber producer’s products more marketable and of a high standard to compete with other countries.
International Consultant in Business Development, Dr. Kwame Asumeda said that Guyana has the potential to meet the demands of the international market. He explained that the amount of woods species that are in Guyana will be tapped for various usages.
Forestry Consultant Dr. Dato’ Baharuddin Haji Ghazali said that Guyana has great potential in the forestry sector, pointing out that more than 75 percent of the 1000 species of woods are not in use. He also explained that most of the by-products of the traditional woods used in Guyana are not properly utilize. He pointed out that the marketing of Guyana wood products will improve the durability and quality as producers will have to keep up with other countries that are also exporting.
Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission, James Singh said that producers and manufacturers are very excited over the initiative. He noted that the initiative will have a large impact on the lives of the rural residence in hinterlands areas. Many of them will be facilitated with jobs. He also explained that the producers will have to focus in the area of quality and reliability as their products will be under a lot of scrutiny at the international market.
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