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Scores of students graduated from the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) on Tuesday and the school’s principal, Gavindra Ramnarain highlighted innovative new food products developed during their studies.

Among these creations were rice milk, coconut jelly ice-cream, coconut tortillas and chunky pineapple popsicles.

“Students developed and displayed a number of products that include…protein bars and powders, beef jerky, assorted fruit leathers [and] cheese-filled sweet potatoes and cassava bread,” Ramnarain revealed.

Students also introduced a bread-making project aimed at reducing the import of wheat flour. Three different types of breads were created using three non-traditional flours: – rice, cassava, and sweet potato breads.

Ramnarain also spoke about how the school’s livestock and crops farm, play key roles in supporting the school’s economy.

“The schools production farms forms part of skills training activities that supplement the classroom. The livestock farm continues to generate a significant portion of the income generated by the school, milk produced by the diary adequately supply the need of the school’s cafeteria [and] the swine unit continues to play a critical role in revitalizing the local swine industry,” the principal stated.

Principal of GSA Gavindra Ramnarain

The layers and broilers farm also satisfied all of the school’s internal needs of eggs and sustain external markets. Additionally, the crop farm supplies a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for the school’s cafeteria and agro processing unit

The school has also been growing a number of fruits and vegetables not commonly grown in Guyana such as cauliflower and broccoli.

Students have also benefited from training in hydroponics and aquaponics.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha applauded the graduates for embarking on careers in agriculture, emphasising the government’s goal for a resilient, technologically advanced sector that reduces the nation’s food import bill.

“Agriculture is changing and changing rapidly, we are embracing new technologies, we are going into new areas of production and over the last few years, that you were at the GSA we have tailored the curriculum so that you can be trained in the new way that we want agriculture to be done in our country,” Mustapha said.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha

Aspiring food scientist, Akeem Williams, graduated with a diploma in Agriculture with higher credit from the Guyana School of Agriculture on Tuesday. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Farm Performance award. Akeem told the News Room that his passion for agriculture stems from his upbringing in a food-centric family.

“We are living in a day and age where artificial intelligence is seeming to take over but I must computers cannot replace agriculturists, we must grow food, we must eat so that is why I am encouraging this new generation to listen, focus on agriculture because computers cannot feed the nation,” Akeem said.

Aspiring food scientist, Akeem Williams, graduated with a diploma in Agriculture with higher credit (Photo: DPI/October 2024)

He is a first-year student at the University of Guyana pursuing a degree in agriculture.

“I will never give up on agriculture my future aspiration is to become a food scientist.

“I wanted to become a food scientist whereby I would help Guyana to ensure that it provides food that is more safe and wholesome for consumption by the Guyanese populace. I think by eating food that is safe and wholesome it helps you to develop more when it comes to mentally, physically and emotionally.”

Shelby Williams, another graduate, achieved a distinction in her diploma in Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health. She received accolades for Best Performance in Surgery, Animal Nutrition, Pharmacology, and was named Best Overall Performer in the Animal Health course.

Her outstanding achievements also earned her the prestigious Gold Medal and Matron’s Prize. The Gold Medal is awarded for excellence in academics, practical skills, and community service.

Shelby shared her passion for agriculture with the News Room and encouraged young people to explore the field, noting its important role in food security.

Shelby Williams achieved a distinction in her diploma in Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health. (Photo: DPI/October 2024)

“I think that young people should definitely come into the agriculture field because one of the main things human needs is food to eat and agriculture provides that.

“In the veterinary field there is a lot of zoonotic diseases and the veterinary field people are there help to prevent not only animal diseases but diseases that affects animals that also transfers to humans,” Shelby said.

 

 

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The University of Guyana (UG) Chess Championship crowned Joshua Grant and Sherlyta Campayne as the new chess king and queen for 2024.

Grant finished the tournament with an undefeated record of six points, while Campayne secured the title with 3.5 points.

The tournament featured nine competitors, with each player facing every other player twice.

The women’s championship was particularly competitive, with Campayne narrowly defeating defending champion WCM Sasha Shariff in their first encounter.

Grant’s victory over Sandiford, the former UG Chess King and Chess Olympian, was a highlight of the tournament. Campayne also showcased impressive strategic prowess in her matches against Shariff and Melissa Kellman.

The tournament highlights the importance of fostering women’s participation in chess and encourages both seasoned players and newcomers to engage with the game.

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The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) recently hosted the October Rapid Chess Tournament, which was won by reigning Junior Chess Champion Ricardo Narine.

The tournament featured a mix of rated and unrated players, with 30 participants competing for top prizes.

Narine emerged as the overall winner, securing first place with six and a half points.

Kyle Couchman placed second with the same number of points, while Kishun Puran finished third with five points.

National Women’s Champion Jessica Callender claimed fourth place with five points, and veteran player Darshanand Ramlall from the Essequibo Coast finished fifth with four and a half points.

Narine expressed his confidence in his winning chances despite the presence of new faces in the tournament. He was impressed by the skill level of the participants and remained focused on his goal of securing a podium finish.

Callender, the only female in the top five, highlighted the challenges and opportunities presented by competing in Open Tournaments.

She emphasized the importance of preparing to play the best game possible and expressed her confidence in securing a prize.

The tournament was supervised by FM Anthony Drayton and assisted by Gilbert Williams, head of the Youth and Development Committee of the GCF.

The GCF thanked the David Rose Special School for their continued support for chess.

The GCF and the David Rose Special School partnered earlier this year to hold chess tournaments at the school, fostering a growing number of players in both the federation and the Special Education Needs sector.

The October Rapid Chess Tournament was a successful event that showcased the talent and dedication of chess players in Guyana.

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Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said the government will be investing almost $100 million to develop the waterfront area in Linden, Region Ten (Upper Demerara- Berbice) this year.

“We are going to spend another $70 million or maybe close to $100 million on waterfront development in both Mackenzie and Wismar,” Edghill said.

He made this disclosure on Tuesday during his appearance on a radio programme.

According to him, the development is aimed at better accommodating boat operators and to facilitate a series of events that are usually held in these spaces, promoting a safer and cleaner environment.

“$13 million or so have already been sign and the people…will get a new landing at the Mackenzie waterfront.

“So when they come in they could tie up their boats, there will be toilet facilities for them to use and there will be sheds so while they waiting on their captions…they don’t be in the sun,” Edghill explained.

Altogether, Edghill said this along with the construction of new bridges and roads is aimed at developing the region.

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The sum of $7.3 billion will be spent to build more than 160 roads in communities across Linden, Region Ten (Upper Demerara- Berbice).

While providing an update on the works ongoing to develop the region on Tuesday, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said currently 29 of those roads are under construction.

More than 100 more will be built in Mackenzie and Wismar.

“I can tell you every road in Linden will be done. They all cannot be done at the same time.

“Based on my record, there are about 100 roads in Mackenzie and 65 in Wismar to be completed, which gives a total of 165. When you add the length of all of these road together, it will be 47,949 meters.

“To do all the roads, it will cost us close to $7.3 million,” Edghill said during an appearance on 104.3FM radio programme on Tuesday.

He also said that priority is being given to small contractors, coming out of the communities.

“Last year we preserved work for small contractors and we were able to give 89 persons contracts to execute in various parts of Linden. We are going to do that again this year,” he said.

Additionally, Edghill said works on the Wismar Bridge have commenced.

In fact, he said the contractor is in the process of establishing a temporary structure from which they will operate, and store their machinery.

While this structure is being built, Edghill said traffic will still be facilitated.

The project, according to Edghill, is likely to be completed before its timeline.

President Ali had previously announced that once completed, commuters will not pay any toll to cross the Wismar Bridge.

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Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Monday told the News Room that the government will meet with officials of the University of Guyana (UG) later this week to discuss the upcoming graduation ceremonies and funding for the institution.

This meeting follows an announcement by President Dr. Irfaan Ali that tuition fees at the university will be abolished from January, 2025.

“We are meeting with the university within the next couple of days to determine how we can move forward sensibly and in the interest of all but we are not going to be shaken from the path of delivering free university education which people in this country asked for and we delivered,” Minister Manickchand said.

UG, in a statement, said it supports the tuition-free agenda but noted that tuition fees usually cover a lot of the university’s operating expenses.

For the past four years, UG added that in support of the anticipated free tuition, it has allowed many students to attend and complete their studies without fully paying fees.

“The government has been clear we are going to offer free tuition, I understand why free tuition might cause nervousness in political quarters that are not associated with the government, because that is a very popular programme.

“I think that is unfortunate because anything that develops our young people should be embraced by all,” Manickchand noted.

On October 10, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced during a special address to the 12th Parliament of Guyana that starting January 2025, tuition fees will be completely abolished at UG.

This initiative is set to benefit about 11,000 current students and will cost about $8 billion.

In addition to the abolition of tuition fees at UG, President Ali on October 16, announced the abolition of tuition fees for all government and technical institutions, including the Carnegie School of Home Economics and the Guyana School of Agriculture.

The tuition fees at these institutions will also be eliminated starting in January 2025.

 

 

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Athletes and officials gathered at the National Stadium, Providence, on Sunday afternoon ahead of departure for the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) 2024, set for October 24-26 in French Guiana.

The Guyana contingent was given a send-off by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., who wished the athletes well and urged them to use the IGG platform as a stepping stone to greater things in their careers.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. makes a point to the athletes in the presence of Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle (left) and Assistant Directors of Sport Melissa Dow-Richardson and Franklin Wilson (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/October 20, 2024)

Minister Ramson Jr. told the young athletes that government is making a significant investment in their lives by enabling their participation in crucial age-group events like IGG.

Labelling them the premier sportsmen and women in their respective disciplines at this level, the minister said it is important they are afforded the opportunity to grow and excel through rivalry with their counterparts from French Guiana and Suriname.

WATCH: Minister Ramson Jr. gives charges to athletes 

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Scores of current and past students of Queen’s College gathered at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown for a special assembly commemorating the institution’s 180th anniversary.

Past and present college members sang their Latin school song, cheered as they saw the flags of each of the 10 school houses, and immersed themselves in the celebration of the school hailed as Guyana’s premier secondary school.

Queen’s College students celebrated the school’s 180th anniversary at a special assembly on Monday (Photo: News Room/ October 21, 2024)

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali joined the special assembly and acknowledged the foundation the institution set for many. It is no secret, he said, that the students of the college all possess a streak of excellence.

Even so, he urged all persons to embrace the core values they hold dear. Those values include a sense of humanity, tolerance, togetherness and equity.

Queen’s College old students celebrated the school’s 180th anniversary at a special assembly on Monday (Photo: News Room/ October 21, 2024)

“If all of us, collectively, across the country live these values then imagine the different country that we will be in.

“… In my humble view, staying true to the tradition of this institution and the value system of this institution is by honouring it, and the only way you can go out of it is by living it every day,” the Head of State said.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali at the Queen’s College special assembly on Monday (Photo: News Room/ October 21, 2024)

He also told the QC gathering that they should support others, in every facet of life.

For his part, he said the government is striving to guarantee that all schools are equipped with much-needed resources so that children everywhere can benefit. Dr. Ali explained that more schools are being constructed across the country to guarantee equal access to learning.

Beyond that, he said schools are being modernised and benefitting from trained teachers.

Education Minister and Alumna Priya Manickchand also spoke of the government’s aim to equip all schools with much-needed resources.

For her, it is very possible to make students at all other secondary schools as successful as those from Queen’s College once they are provided with adequate tools for success.

The Queen’s College week to activities continue all week, culminating in a grand gala on Saturday night.

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Navindra Latchman, a 28-year-old taxi driver of Queenstown, Essequibo Coast was charged for attempted on Monday.

Police Headquarters reported that Latchman, called Rocky, was arrested on October 15 after he attempted to murder Akeelah Maynard. Details on the incident were not provided.

He appeared at the Charity Magistrate’s Court on Monday before Magistrate Tamieka Clarke. The charge was read to him and he was not required to plea.

Latchman was remanded to prison until November 7, 2024.

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Two men- Jerry Anderson and Raphael Watts- were arrested on Monday after Police nabbed them with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition in the vicinity of the Timehri bus park in Georgetown.

Police Headquarters reported that the men were arrested during an intelligence-led operation.

A black Nisan Juke (#PZZ 4712) was intercepted by Police at about 10:30 hrs. Watts, a 37-year-old gold miner from Zeelugt Housing Scheme, was in the vehicle with Anderson, the driver.

A search was conducted, which led to the discovery of one 9mm pistol along with one magazine and ten 9mm rounds of ammunition.

Both men were taken to the Brickdam Police Station, where they are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

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