Education Specialist to head Guyana Football Scholarship Committee

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has appointed a scholarship committee styled the ‘Guyana Football Scholarship Committee’ that will be responsible for the formulation of the GFF scholarship programme.

The five-member Committee, whose mandate will be for one year, is an Ad hoc one in accordance with Article 56 of the GFF Constitution and consists of Mr. Olato Sam, who is the Chairman, Mr. Rawle Small, Mr. Henry Chase, Ms. Lavern Fraser and Ms. Charissa Rampersaud.

Chairman Sam is the current Education Specialist in the Office of the Minister of Education and a former Chief Education Officer.

In an invited comment, President of the GFF Wayne Forde remarked: “As leaders, we have a moral obligation to create life changing opportunities for the young boys and girls, who passionately dedicate their lives to football. It is our duty to ensure that each player has equal and fair access to the boundless opportunities of their football experience and are inspired to model the qualities of good discipline, dedication and hard work.”

He added, “A solid education is a lifetime gift and I am confident that many of our players will follow in the footsteps of those who have benefitted from scholarship opportunities and have gone on the lead productive lives, while contributing to the greater good of the Guyanese society.”

Chairman Sam also commented: “This Committee is extremely honoured to be given the opportunity to serve the youths of Guyana in this capacity. We are committed to establishing a framework that would positively impact the lives of our talented players. We applaud the GFF for making this a priority area and look forward to supporting its efforts in advancing football in our country.”

On February 1, 2020, at a Statutory meeting of the Executive Committee of the Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF), a proposal for the establishment of a scholarship fund/programme was approved.

To this end, the GFF has appointed an Ad-Hoc Committee to develop the GFF Scholarship Programme.

1. Mandate

1.1 The mandate of the Guyana Football Scholarship Committee (GFSC) is to formulate the GFF Scholarship Programme (GFFSP).

1.2 The GFSC will therefore develop and prepare for consideration and approval by the GFF Executive Committee, the following:

1. Develop a governing policy for the GFFSP.
2. Undertake a consultative exercise in order to gather input from the football fraternity and other stakeholders, which will inform the general construct of the policy governing the programme.
3. Develop a sustainability plan for the GFFSP, which must include a fund raising model and other income generation initiatives.

1.3 The GFFSP Governing Policy must include the following:

1. Develop the selection process for scholarship recipients.
2. Develop an evaluation process for applications and nominations.
3. Develop a standard scholarship categorization schedule with corresponding financing ceiling.
4. Develop an approval protocol.
5. Develop the Management structure for the scholarship programme.
6. Develop the reporting and communication process.