President donates computers to Buxton

-President’s intervention in the communities is a demonstration of good governance

FOLLOWING up on a visit to Buxton on August 18, President Jagdeo yesterday donated 20 computers to various community groups from the village and noted that he was impressed with the high level of volunteerism there.

A student tries one of the computers at Office of the President yesterday

At the Office of the President yesterday, Jagdeo received scores of persons from the community, including schoolchildren, where he made the presentation and offered words of praise and encouragement for the enterprising attitude and outlook of the community leaders.
The President charged the groups to put the computers to good use and said that he wanted not only the children of the community, but also the adults, to be proficient in the use of computers.
On hearing that some groups in the community do provide free computer training for children, the President said that this was laudable and that the training will come in beneficial when the Government rolls out its one computer per family programme in the not too distant future.
“This is only 20 [computers]. We need to get 500 to 600 computers in each village,” said the President. He added that the community groups should concentrate on training in access and on computer familiarity and that the in-depth lessons should be left for a later stage.
“You in Buxton have so many volunteer groups,” he said, adding that he would be hard-pressed to find such a high level of volunteerism in other places. He said that the free lessons offered by the groups are really a good example of the heart of the Buxtonians.
When one of the Buxton leaders said that his son will be coming back from studying in Cuba to work in the village, President Jagdeo suggested that some of the computer engineering students that studied in Cuba may be able to do stints of computer training in Buxton and other villages.
Jagdeo said a database of all the women who need help in the village should be compiled so that those who did not qualify under one scheme of assistance may be able to still get some form of assistance. He was pleased to hear that the Guyana Association of Bankers and Courts made visits to Buxton with a view to establishing links with the community. The President encouraged insurance companies to reassess their posture on coverage of homes in the village, and asked Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh to follow up with insurance companies in this regard.

President Bharrat Jagdeo with youth members of the Toucan II Multipurpose Club with their new steel pans donated to them. Also in photo are Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony and Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba

In terms of the appointment of head teachers to schools in the community, the President said that the PNC has submitted the name of former Region Four Regional Chairman Allan Munroe as the party’s nominee on the Teaching Service Commission, and this will move the process of appointment of head teachers forward.
He charged those tasked with responsibilities of following up on the progress being made since the President’s visit to keep him in the loop so that he would be able to intervene should there be difficulties along the way.
The President also said it is not just about projects in Buxton, but there needs to be a change in attitudes about the community, noting that people should not be discriminated against just because they come from Buxton.
One of the members of the community expressed thanks to the President for the visit made to the communities of Buxton and Friendship.
“This group of young people and leaders [represent] those who want to make Buxton and Friendship a respectable place. We are therefore thankful to you and all your ministers,” the representative said, adding that they will accept the gifts and utilize them to learn new skills. He said too that the President’s intervention in the communities is a demonstration of good governance.

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