Last week, government commissioned a computer training centre at Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, as it forges ahead with its information communication technology programme.
The facility was commissioned last Wednesday, January 5th, by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and People’s Progressive Party parliamentarian Donald Ramotar. The new facility houses 20 fully operational computer systems, and is staffed to cater to the sugar workers and their children, providing training in the area of information technology.
Ramotar told a gathering of sugar workers and residents of the Albion community that the future belongs to technology, and that all of Guyana needs to move forward in this vein. “The world is getting closer together by the revolution that has taken place in transportation and communication, and information technology is at the heart of globalization that is taking place. It means more and more national borders will become less important, because the world itself will become a stage on which we all would have to play. That is why we in Guyana must be ready for this.”
Given the impact that the sugar industry has had on Guyana’s economy, and the massive role it has played in the development of the country and in taking the economy forward, Ramotar stated, it is only proper that sugar workers and their children have the opportunity to learn and make the maximum use of the facility.
He noted that government has always been committed to the educational development of its people, as this has a direct correlation with the progress of poverty eradication. “Projects like these are investments in ourselves and an investment in our future; and… we are working very hard to ensure that the minimum level of education in Guyana would be secondary education. We still hope that, very soon, we can declare that we have universal secondary education in our country,” he said.
Ramotar added that this new initiative is about empowering the Guyanese society, and the new technology offers an opportunity to leap ahead of the region and go with the rest of the world.
In his remarks, Minister Persaud told the residents that this new initiative is in keeping with President Bharrat Jagdeo’s information communication technology (ICT) strategy for taking Guyana forward.
“This investment is not only taking place at Albion; similar facilities have been established on all the estates. We want to ensure that every single sugar worker and their children have access to training,” the minister said. He assured them that the use of the facility is free of charge. He added that government expended millions of dollars to establish the centres, and feels that every single dollar spent in this regard is a dollar well spent, and the country will get value for money at the end of the day.
Government is committed to ensuring that people in remote communities have access to computer training and education at all levels. “It is important, if our country is to advance, that we develop this type of support and this type of facility,” Persaud stressed. He added that the use of the computer is a necessary skill in all aspects of today’s society. It is with this in mind that government has embarked on its programme to ensure that the sugar workers are equipped to cope in today’s world, as many of the new investments that are made in the sugar industry require computer skills.
The minister stated that 2011 should be seen as a significant landmark year for the sugar industry. “This year should serve as a wake-up year, a wake-up year for all of us, be it management or workers; a wake-up year for us to ensure that, whatever we do, we make a success of this industry. Notwithstanding the challenges, notwithstanding the differences, we must use 2011 to dedicate and commit ourselves,” he added.
Further, government’s investment in the fibre-optic cable from Brazil will create a new window for taking Guyana further into the world of technology. The groundwork for the 1,240-kilometre submarine fibre-optic cable system was laid early in 2010.
