President Donald Ramotar on Monday commissioned a new school building, described as a world-class facility within the complex of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC) on Carmichael Street, Georgetown. The building was constructed by the government of Guyana at the cost of over Gy$50 million.
Ministers, Dr Ashni Singh and Priya Manickchand were also present at the commissioning of the building which was named the ‘Harold B Davis Special School’ in honour of Harold Davis, one of the longest serving chairmen of the PRRC’s board who passed away last year at the age of 88.
Delivering the feature address, President Ramotar said that as deliberate policy, one of the main objectives of his political party and government is to lift the quality of life of all Guyanese. This is demonstrated by the fact that Guyana is one of the few, if not the only, Caribbean country, that dedicates approximately 30 percent of its national budget to the social sector.
“The most important factor for our development is not only the natural resources that we have… the most important factor for development is our people, that is why we are constantly striving to improve the human capital of our country,” the head of state said.
He explained that resources in Guyana are not unlimited and there is always a struggle to meet competing demands and making tough decisions on what should be considered priorities.
Nevertheless, a lot of emphasis has been placed on education over the years, because it has been proven that some of the most developed countries are not necessarily those with the most natural resources, but the most educated population.
In terms of training, the president informed that through the Labour Ministry’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT), opportunities are created for young people who for various reasons, were not able to complete their secondary education.
Through this programme, life skills and vocational training are provided free of cost, and many of the beneficiaries of this programme have gone on to acquire higher education, while others ventured out into small businesses.
President Ramotar said that the PRRC facility is extremely important because it will be addressing the needs of a category of people who are sometimes seen as disadvantaged; however, he noted that this should by no means hinder them from reaching their full potential.
He encouraged the use of technology to make more effective, the delivery of education to children with special needs, and assured of his government’s full and continued support towards the PRRC.
“Science and technology has moved tremendously over a fairly short period of time and it is continuing to develop and change people’s lives in maybe fundamental ways, the most important thing is to make it accessible to the ordinary man; it should not remain only for the benefit of those who can afford it,” the president said.
