Sixty students from five schools across Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) and East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six), today, benefited from bicycles under President David Granger’s ‘Boats, Buses, Bicycles plus Breakfast and Books’ or ‘Five Bs’ programme.
Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally, under whose Ministry the programme is managed, and First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, who has thrown her support behind the initiative, personally presented the bicycles to the students who were identified by regional educational officials.
Starting off in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) at the Department of Education building, New Amsterdam, Minister Ally and the First Lady handed over 30 of the 60 bicycles to students from the Canje Secondary School, Angoy’s Avenue and Sandvoort. Addressing the students and teachers, Minister Ally said that the government believes that an educated nation will help to foster a good life for all.
“This project is the vision of President Granger because he wants every child in school, to have the opportunity to have a good education and it is not by accident or for show that he has introduced the Bs project. This project has benefited a number of students and I hope that all the students of this region will make use full use of this opportunity to ensure that they get to school on time and not tired. This Government is very serious about this project. We want to give you the opportunity to have a better life in Guyana,” Minister Ally said.
She noted that while the Government has only been in office for a little over a year, it has impacted the education sector in almost all of the regions across the country.
“We have touched education to provide transport for our children; we have touched schools to provide footwear. So we have touched many lives in this one year, particularly in the educational aspect,” she said.
The Minister said that while everything cannot be done at once, “as soon as is practicable, all the other regions will get more buses, boats and bicycles.” She thanked the corporate citizens who have been supporting the programme stating that it is necessary to note that the Government was putting “no pressure on anyone to give what they are giving, but they understand the President’s vision and what he wants for Guyana and they too understand that if they invest in education we will have a better nation.”
Meanwhile, the First Lady, in her brief comments, said that the contributors must be appreciated and lauded for their efforts to realise the project. She then charged the students to take care of the bicycles, noting that it must serve to strengthen their resolve and drive to pursue their education.
“It is important that we have educated people who will take decisions, which can grow and develop our country,” Mrs. Granger said.
