Dear Editor, A Education Ministry report of November 6, 2008, revealed that, up to 2007, 13,844 students had dropped out of the primary school system, representing four per cent of the national population. The report continued: “… according to Evelyn Hamilton, Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Education, the situation is much worse, particularly in primary and secondary schools in hinterland areas, like Region One [Barima-Waini] and Region Nine [Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo], where rates are more than tripled.” However, the previous Administration had significantly lowered those figures when the…
Read MoreYear: 2017
Guyanese Americans rally for DACA in Richmond Hill
Dear Editor, A couple dozens of Indo-Guyanese and Indo-Trinis, joined by a few nationals of other countries, rallied mid-afternoon on Saturday, September 16, in Richmond Hill in support of DACA (Deferred Action on Child Arrivals) which was terminated by President Trump on Sept 6. Meanwhile, four Indo-Guyanese lawyers in Richmond Hill held a legal clinic, or session, to assist DACA people. DACA is a limited federal programme that was designed to protect immigrants who came to the US illegally as children (known as Dreamers) with their parents. There are some…
Read MoreGuyanese sugar workers against closure of estates
Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) finds it incumbent to respond to Mr Gobin Harbhajan’s letter, titled “Not doom and gloom for sugar workers”, which appeared in sections of the media on September 16, 2017. Mr Harbhajan seemed very upset by the GAWU-organised march and public meeting which was held at Corriverton, Berbice on September 12, 2017. Like Mr Harbhajan says, “action speaks louder than words”, and quite clearly the workers, by their actions, have demonstrated that they are opposed to plans by the APNU/AFC Government…
Read MoreJagdeo calls for Patterson to be fired for ‘blatant lies’
Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has demanded that Head of State, David Granger immediately fire Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson over what he described as a repeated plethora of “blatant lies” in an attempt to defame the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its approach to building a new Demerara River crossing. Jagdeo told reporters Minister Patterson had not only lied in his utterances with regard to him having doled out all of the Petroleum Blocks available for exploration, but in his pronouncements over the new crossing for the Demerara River.…
Read MoreCurbing road deaths in Guyana
The Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is reporting that almost one year after “Operation Safeway” was launched, there has been a marked improvement in terms of reducing road accidents in Guyana. On September 15, 2016, the Traffic Chief launched “Operation Safeway” with the intention of decreasing accidents and deaths on the roads and promoting better road safety awareness. Giving a brief report on the programme’s success thus far, Traffic Chief Dion Moore was quoted in the media as saying that “Operation Safeway” “has borne us some amount…
Read MoreBuilding bridges
Details of the G$146 million Feasibility Study by the Dutch firm of LievenseCSO for the new Demerara River bridge (DRB) have finally been released by the Public Infrastructure Minister (MPI), after a series of leaks that titillated and exasperated the populace over the past month. The titillation was mostly over the news that a financier of the Government’s last political campaign serendipitously owned the land on the western bank of the Demerara River where the DRB will terminate. It is not known when the land was acquired. The exasperation was…
Read MoreSoftball: A sport-building sentiment of playing together, says Nagamootoo
…as lucrative Prime Minister’s Cup is launched An initiative which is the first of its kind — the Prime Minister’s Softball Cup — was launched on Sunday at the Everest Cricket Club on Camp Road, much to the delight of several teams who are all anxious to participate in the anticipated action-packed tournament organised by the Georgetown Softball Cricket Association Inc (GSCL Inc). Delivering the feature address to an audience bolstered by the gracious presence of Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo expressed appreciation and honour at…
Read MoreGuyana’s female hockey team setting high standards for Pan Am indoor tournament
By Michelangelo Jacobus The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) is set to host the Pan American Indoor Hockey tournament for the first time in the country’s history on October 14 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH). With the tournament just five weeks away, the national women’s team are undergoing intense training in a bid to medal at the Pan American Indoor Championships. Guyana Times International Sport spoke to Coach Dwayne Scott at a training session, and he expressed pleasure with the way his charges were preparing for the tournament. “We…
Read MoreGriffith seeing positive signs ahead of regional season
By Akeem Greene Reigning three-time champions Guyana Jaguars will open their title defence of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-Day Tournament against Jamaica Scorpions at the National Stadium, Providence on October 26. In the quest for a fourth successive title, the champions have begun preparations early with their ongoing three-day franchise league and regular sessions with their contracted and academy players. With preparations in full swing, Assistant Coach and Manager of the Guyana Jaguars, Rayon Griffith is enthused about the signs he has seen from the…
Read MoreJudicial system should capitalise on modern technology
…to address challenges Technological advancement should not exclude the judicial system rather it should be used as a method of addressing the backlog of cases that impinges on the right to a fair and timely trial, Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) President, Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron has said. Sir Charles, who was in Guyana for a brief visit, noted that the backlog of court cases is not only limited to Guyana as it has become an issue that plagues almost all Caribbean countries. He said that in order to…
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