Agriculture Ministry monitoring animals and crop production in flooded areas
– farmers responding positively to interventions
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
The Agriculture Ministry, as part of its response to the current rainy season has dispatched several teams from its Animal Health and Crop production department to monitor and assess the situation in flood affected areas.
Giving the media an update recently, Technical Manager of the Animal Health and Livestock department of the Ministry Michael Welch said that the surveys are being conducted to establish the extent of threat on the livestock population and to determine the additional interventions.
Welch explained that teams are conducting rapid appraisals and based on those findings the Ministry will be able to mobilize resources both human and financial, as well as veterinary interventions, to assist those farmers.
“To date, we have taken veterinary interventions to farmers in terms of prophylactic treatment; we are trying to minimize the possibility of diseases affecting human being and also trying to preserve the lives of the animals, so we have teams working out there. We have also expanded our relief effort into Regions Five, Six, Three and Two,” he said.
He reported that several areas in the Pomeroon in Region Two have been affected but since the livestock population is small there is no need at this point for major interventions, however, veterinary assistance is currently being provided.
The Ministry has also advised farmers on how to get rid of the matured livestock by slaughtering and marketing. “We also need to be very careful with flood waters and the possibility of cross contamination and along those lines.”
He noted too that farmers have been advised to move their animals to higher grounds in areas where there is flooding so as to reduce the possibility of being exposed to disease organisms.
This also allows the staff of the Ministry to work in a conducive environment in delivering the animal health intervention. Welch also explained that advice is given on carcass disposal.
“We are looking at education in terms of advisory and we will be working with a number of agencies, local government organs, Ministry of Health, in providing information and we have been able to garner support from established farmers’ associations which have been very instrumental in ensuring that we preserve as many more animals as we can and to ensure that food supply is not adversely disrupted,” he said.
According to Technical Manager of the Crops Unit, John Woolford, “We are looking at the saturation of the soil which means that certain crops will not withstand a certain amount of wet conditions so we are looking at that and giving advice where possible.”
He explained that the Ministry is also utilizing the coordinated resources of farmers associations, farmers groups, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the regional authorities and the farmer are responding positively to the interventions.
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Wet to extremely wet conditions expected from January 2 - 8
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
The Hydromet office is advising that apart from some isolated showers over coastal areas at times, mostly fair weather conditions are expected over Guyana tonight.
Tomorrow, cloudy to overcast conditions with showers and intermittent rain are expected with more precipitation concentrated over Demerara and Berbice Regions.
Similar weather conditions are likely on Sunday.
During the remaining forecast period, the Hydromet office said that most of Guyana can expect wet to extremely wet conditions. Heavy showers and occurrences of thunder are likely on some days.
Rainfall stations can expect an average of 10.0mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period. On days with heavy rainfall some stations may measure in excess of 50.0mm of rainfall.
The Met service stated that in 1934, the highest ever-recorded daily rainfall in Georgetown (1892 –2007) for January was 181.9mm while on January 7, 2008, a maximum daily rainfall of 56.4mm was recorded.
The long-term daily average rainfall for Georgetown, for the next 10 days between January 2 to January 11, 2009 is 8.8 mm per day.
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Water receding rapidly in some areas
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth confirmed today that water has been receding rapidly in some areas along the East Coast of Demerara, the Canals Polder and in Berbice.
These areas were affected by heavy rainfall over the past weeks. To aid the situation in these areas, Government had installed a number of pumps and has engaged in continuous dredging of the canals and outfall channels to ensure gravity drainage for these areas.
Water has receded in areas such as Lusignan, Enterprise, Montrose, Paradise, Dazzell Housing Scheme and Ann’s Grove, Wordsworth stated. Some of these areas had recorded some four to six inches of water over a 24-hour period.
Areas in the Mahaica / Mahaicony and Abary Creeks are still affected.
In Berbice, areas such as Alness and Black Bush Polder have seen water receding rapidly after the downpours had widened to these areas. Before the present rainy season, these areas have never experienced this amount of rainfall.
Regional Chairman, Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha said that water has significantly reduced as a result of measures put in place. These include the installation of 11 irrigators and two additional pumps deployed from Demerara as well as the sealing of breaches at Black Bush Polder. He added that areas such as No. 19 are most affected because of the large area and as such more drainage was required. However, he said the largest pump was installed there.
In the Canals Polder area, Wordsworth reported that 80 percent of water had receded from the land.
Government continues to monitor the situation and will continue to make the necessary interventions.
On Old Year’s Day, ministers had fanned out to various affected regions to assess the situation.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud had visited Region Six while Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir had visited the Canals Polder.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad visited Ann’s Grove.
Medical teams and veterinary and crop officers had been deployed to aid residents that have been affected.
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President joins thousands at Kashif and Shanghai football final
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
President Bharrat Jagdeo joined thousands of eager Guyanese last evening at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence to watch the final tournament of this year’s 19th Kashif and Shanghai football competition.
Participating teams of this year’s finals were Bakewell Top Twenty, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Pele and Sunburst Camptown. Bakewell Top Twenty won against the GDF while Pele Footbal Club was victorious in the match against Sunburst Camptown.
President Jagdeo kicked off the ball for the evening’s final match.
Winners will receive their prizes on a date to be announced by the Guyana Football League (GFL).
The President’s support of the tournament dates back to the 1990s when he was Finance Minister. He recently made his customary donation of $1M for the first prize to Directors Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey Shanghai Major at the Office of the President.
President Bharrat Jagdeo greeting members of Pele Football Club
In 2005, the President indicated government’s preparedness to spend more resources on football, as the economy was doing better and this increased support has facilitated Guyana’s significant climb in international football ratings in the Federation of International Football Association’s (FIFA) list and the country being placed sixth in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) team.
The annual football tournament was traditionally held in Linden.
The stadium was a significant investment by Government in Guyana’s future since it offers to Guyanese particularly youths, the opportunity to practice their athletic skills and to aspire and reach their full potential.
President Bharrat Jagdeo greeting members of Sunburst Camptown team
President Jagdeo in addition to his constant encouragement to youths and others in the sporting arena provides tangible incentives to outstanding sportsmen of the country including house lots which have been given to Guyanese boxing champions, Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, Vivian Harris, Gwendolyn O’ Neil and Pamela London.
The Head of State has in the past, reiterated that the creation of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, whose budget continues to grow tremendously to undertake activities to support sporting activities across the country, recognizes the importance of Government in developing sport.
This year, one of the teams from Region Nine was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
The first two opening matches of the tournament, held in Linden saw Pele Football Club defeating Milerock Club 1-0 while the Top Twenty team was victorious in the match against Rusal.
President Jagdeo kicking the ball for the final match
Approximately 15 teams battled for the first prize of the tournament which saw a number of matches played in various parts of the country prior to the culmination last evening.
Apart from Government; other sponsors included the National Communications Network (NCN), Guyana Times Newspaper, and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (G T & T).
Other Government officials who attended the tournament included the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad and Presidential Advisor on Community Development, Odinga Labumba.
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GRA restructures and reforms operations for 2009
- aims to promote voluntary tax compliance among customers
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has shifted its tax reform measures to a more functional approach of administering taxes so as to increase its capacity to obtain higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
According to a GRA release, the authority’s Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, said these implementations which are slated for 2009, will lead to a more service - oriented, customer driven organization that promotes voluntary tax compliance among customers.
The GRA aims to restructure its headquarters and implement a domestic tax administration through the re-engineering of its business processes. This will create an understanding of the importance of helping to make Guyana less dependent on foreign exchange and transform its status from a poor indebted country through greater levels of revenue collection.
Noting GRA’s role in reducing Guyana’s fiscal deficit and ensuring that the country achieves economic freedom, Sattaur urged taxpayers to see themselves as part of a greater mission to create a more viable economy. He said, “It therefore means that each person, business or individual must pay their fair share of taxes willingly.”
The GRA further aims to focus on staff training so as to strengthen its Customs and Trade Administration.
The organization has so far achieved much success in its efforts to restructure and reintegrate. In this regard several units have been merged and in some cases new units were created.
Some of the units which emerged out of the restructuring include:
- Debt management
- Communication and Tax Advisory Services which allowed for several units from Internal Revenue being relocated to the VAT building while others taken from this building have been merged with other units or relocated to other divisions such as the Licence Revenue Office.
- Tax Operations and Services which now include Internal Revenue and VAT divisions which have both a Head and Deputy Head
- Intelligence/Risk Management
- Law Enforcement/Investigations
- Tax Analysis Unit
Part of the GRA’s restructuring also resulted in certain designations such as Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner and Director being changed to Head, Deputy Head, Senior Manager and Manager respectively.
According to Ms. Hema Khan, Acting Head of the Tax Operations and Services Department, a Central Data Processing and Registration Unit has been established as a result of the merger, therefore all tax and Taxpayers Identification Number registration will be carried out at the VAT building at Albert and Charlotte Streets, Bourda.
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Education Ministry accomplished several major achievements in 2008-Minister Baksh
Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2009
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh today updated members of the media on the major achievements in the education sector over the past year and highlighted some of the challenges that the Ministry plans to address to move the sector forward.
Education Reform and Innovative Programme
Minister Baksh said that in 2008 his Ministry embarked on the Education Reform and Innovative Programme to improve and tighten the education system. Under this programme decentralizing of management was completed, giving more responsibility to the Regional Departments countrywide. The central Ministry oversees the monitoring and evaluation of what takes place in the sector.
Creation of MERD Unit and HFLE programme
The central Ministry was strengthened by the creation of an expanded inspectorate called the Monitoring Evaluation Reporting and Development (MERD) Unit which is involved in monitoring the school system, evaluating results, reporting on them and ensuring development takes place.
Minister Baksh said that this Unit is already making an impact on the sector.
Additionally, the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) programme was established to deal with issues of school health nutrition and HIV/AIDS, sex education, drug abuse, and other social issues including teenage pregnancy, violence, and sexual abuse.
Strengthened welfare system
The school welfare system was expanded by 26 new welfare officers who were added to boost the service in the various Regions across Guyana. The officers work closely with the Ministry of Human Service and Social Security Ministry.
New Strategic Plan completed
The Ministry completed its new Education Strategic Plan 2008-2013, which is part of government’s vision of moving the sector forward and Minister Baksh noted that US $ 20.5 M funding was secured from international donors for its implementation.
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Minister Baksh addresses Officials at an Action/Plan Workshop for the Education Strategic Plan at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston
The Plan which aims to ensure that the education system contributes to raising the standard of living in Guyana while improving the sector in its overall effectiveness, tackles critical areas of the sector including strengthening managerial capacity, establishing universal secondary education, improving teacher education system, delivering quality education, and improving inclusiveness in relation to special needs children for an improved sector over the next five years.
Teacher training
Intake at the teacher’s training college also doubled in 2008, Minister Baksh said.
The education system was boosted with 525 more trained teachers in 2008 and the Ministry intends to continue its drive to have more teachers trained during this year.
A section of the Teachers who graduated in 2008
Massive programmes to improve literacy and numeracy
There were major initiatives to promote literacy and numeracy at three levels: the fast Track Initiative (FTI) programme, the Cascade model, and a ten- week literacy and numeracy programme for students who attained less than 40% at the 2008 National Grade Six Assessment. Participants showed growth from 40% to 56%.
The Ministry launched the $115M ‘Fast Track Initiative Literacy Programme to tackle illiteracy and improve literacy level. The programme which commenced in all regions on May 1 targeted 1500 beneficiaries over the past year
Completion of the new Education Legislation
The final draft of the new education legislation was completed by and sent to the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers for approval. The next steps are to present it to Cabinet and Parliament.
Guyana had an education act over 50 years ago and so this new legislation will bring changes in the education sector including the provision for decentralizing of management and the regulation of private schools across the country.
Guyanese top in CSEC exam
Minister Baksh noted that Guyana outperformed the Caribbean at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam in five core areas.
Top performer of the Region, Guyanese Queen’s College student, Yana-Marisa Edwards receiving her award
Guyana received the prizes of best overall performer, best science student, best business student, best agricultural student, and best technical vocation student.
Twenty three new schools
Twenty three schools were constructed in 2008; nine nursery, ten primary, and four secondary schools.
The spanking Lusignan nursery school
These included the new Santa Aratak Primary School in region Three and the new Lusignan Nursery on the East Coast Demerara.
Santa Aratak Primary School, Region Three
Challenges
Minister Baksh noted that a major challenge confronting the education system is teacher motivation.
The Ministry plans to address matters including teacher remuneration service and working with them to raise self motivation and self generation since they need more support and encouragement. Other plans are to work closely with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU).
At the tertiary level, the Ministry will work assiduously with the University of Guyana (UG) to improve the institution by ensuring that it is prepared to promote human resources by delivering better teaching and training.
The Ministry is also moving to work with UG to provide online registration to students this year.
The Minister reiterated that the UG administration should sanction lecturers who fail to submit students’ grades in a timely manner.
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