PPP/C sowed the seeds of disdain for young people’s concerns

“It will reap a bitter harvest at the next elections,”

By Kiana Wilburg Leader of the Opposition, David Granger, placed in the spotlight yesterday, the importance of youth participation during the upcoming May 11 election, as well as the fact that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has failed miserably in addressing those challenges facing the younger generation.

( From left) Opposition Leader David Granger, GYSM Chairman, Ryan Belgrave, GYSM Executive Member, Nia Phill-Gonsalves

As a consequence, he said “The PPP/C has sowed the seeds of disdain for young people’s concerns and will reap a bitter harvest at the next elections.” As he made this statement among others at his press conference which was held at his Hadfield Street Office, Granger also had the support of two youths from the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYMS); Executive Member Nia Phill-Gonsalves and Chairman Ryan Belgrave. The Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said that the outcome of the forthcoming General and Regional elections will be determined largely by the way that young people vote. He premised this declaration on the fact that youths and dependent children constitute 69 percent of the national population. The politician said that the current administration has treated this large section of the population with disdain and that it has completely ignored young people’s legitimate aspirations for a coherent national youth policy which would give them hope for the future. He said too, that the government “cynically dawdled” while the rest of the world celebrated the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding (IYY) during August 2010 and August 2011. Granger emphasized that young people are inevitably, the nation’s future but they face challenges. Some of these he highlighted to be the large number of school dropouts, the unavailability of new job opportunities, the huge prison population (of which young people are said to comprise 75 percent), the spate of suicides among adolescents and the rising number of teenage pregnancies. These he said are all signs of a desperate social predicament. The Opposition Leader however, focused on two major areas where he felt that the government failed the young generation, the first being on the educational front. In this regard, Granger told the media that the public schools are producing an increasing number of illiterate and innumerate young people. He said that failure rates at the annual National Grade Six Assessment examinations are “astronomically” high.  The APNU leader then referred to reports from the Ministry of Education which said that about 6,000 children drop out of the primary and secondary schools annually. The chronic crises and the current controversy at the University of Guyana he posited are examples of the administration’s lack of concern for students and their education. The second area of failure he raised was the issue of unemployment. He reminded that this central issue is one that the current administration has neglected as to date there are no measures to deal with the massive job crisis and its dangerous consequences. “Children who do not complete their elementary education satisfactorily will find it difficult to get jobs as adults. The majority of young graduates unable to find employment, remain under or unemployed, or join the throng of thousands who emigrate every year. Young people suffer most, owing to the fact that the school leavers are inexperienced and have a long wait before they find their first job,” he added. On the matter of suicide, Granger posited that normally, happy people do not kill themselves. He mentioned that official data would indicate that suicide became a serious public health issue in Guyana only within the last decade. The Parliamentarian reminded that it is ranked seventh of the ten major causes of death. Also alarming he said is that research also shows that suicide became the leading cause of death among young people between ages 15 to 24 and the third leading cause of death among those within the age range of 25 to 44. The Opposition Leader believes that young people will not vote for the PPP because the party in government has failed them. He confidently foretold that Guyana’s youths will vote for the APNU. He said that this will occur because the partnership will improve the standard of education, ensure their personal safety and introduce a genuine national youth policy that will guarantee a good life for all. Chairman of the GYSM, Ryan Belgrave, after endorsing the leader’s statements, added that young people wake up every morning to a society of hopelessness created by the government. “This government is one that lacks vision, oversight and leadership capacity to deal with our concerns. Young people, the forgotten majority, are crying out for a new breath of life… We seek leadership inspired by the ideals for building a democratic nation where fear is banished; a government that practices inclusivity and promotes national unity and at this time we are encouraging the youth to respect their vote. APNU assures the youth of Guyana of a good life, a society that holds youth development as the highest priority,” he expressed. His GYSM colleague, Nia Phill-Gonsalves stated that young people across the world have made significant changes in their countries, and in Guyana, the scenario is no different. “Yesterday (Thursday) at UG the young people were tired of the mediocre level of education they have been receiving and they are tired of the lack of technology and the lack of books in their library and tired of the 20th  century library and because of their tiredness, they decided to embark on a revolution…I want to warn the PPP/C… don’t go to young people with what happened during the PNC time, don’t go to them with what the PPP/C has done because we don’t see anything… all you have is a track record of broken promises …”

The youths lived thru and experienced the horror of 22 years of this PPP government. They must be encouraged to come out and vote for the AFC on May 11th.

What will the AFC offer them, Katahar?

The  only option they have is to migrate..

and you know this as fact right? Has the AFC ever been in Government?

So it,s PPP or no one?

Uncle Rama when you sober up read this:

The spate of suicides among adolescents, the rising number of teenage pregnancies, the large number of school dropouts, the unavailability of new job opportunities, the reports of their being victims of police brutality and torture, the huge prison population (of which youth are said to comprise 75 per cent) and the predicament of juveniles in the New Opportunity Corps are all signs of a dangerous and deteriorating social situation. The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport publicly announced on several occasions that the National Youth Policy would be reviewed. The problem is that he has promulgated no such ‘Policy.’ The result has been that youths continue to face difficult lives in the land of their birth. The single biggest problem at the national level, with dire implications for the future, has been the growing number of illiterate and innumerate youths. The Ministry of Education reports that nearly 7,000 children drop out of our primary and secondary schools every year. Youths who do not complete their basic education satisfactorily will find it difficult to get jobs.

The only thing can the AFC offer is more PPP doctrine....

Uncle Rama when you sober up read this:

The spate of suicides among adolescents, the rising number of teenage pregnancies, the large number of school dropouts, the unavailability of new job opportunities, the reports of their being victims of police brutality and torture, the huge prison population (of which youth are said to comprise 75 per cent) and the predicament of juveniles in the New Opportunity Corps are all signs of a dangerous and deteriorating social situation. The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport publicly announced on several occasions that the National Youth Policy would be reviewed. The problem is that he has promulgated no such ‘Policy.’ The result has been that youths continue to face difficult lives in the land of their birth. The single biggest problem at the national level, with dire implications for the future, has been the growing number of illiterate and innumerate youths. The Ministry of Education reports that nearly 7,000 children drop out of our primary and secondary schools every year. Youths who do not complete their basic education satisfactorily will find it difficult to get jobs.

Mits, My son Graduated College 5 years now in the GREAT USA and cant find a Job!!!!!!!!

Nehru Bhai

If the AFC/PNC had not obstructed development in Guyana, we would have seen an massive influx of investments and jobs created. The AFC is soley responsible for putting Guyana's youths at risk.

Guyanese will give the PPP a majority and send the AFC/PNC to clean Garbage.

A PPP victory means lots of Investments and Jobs for Guyanese.

I always tell my students to do a professional degrees like Education, Nursing. Social Work, MD. engineering, library sciences and law.  Forget about arts and sciences. It is the professional degrees that will get the jobs.  

I agree and told him that but he did not listen.

Excellent advice.

My daughter is studying Law.

Nehru,some of the kid's don't choose the right

major for employment opportunity,he is not

alone there are millions in the US unlike

Guyana they find work to survive.My younger

son recently graduated BA major accounting

decided to venture in RE,all i can say is give

it a shot.

Great advice i encourage my kids the same,it does not

happen i mentioned about my younger son,he did

mechanical engineering for one year and switched to BA.

which university maybe you can give me some advice on this my daughter want to do law still hoping she get a scholarship 

did you teach him how to support corruption  

Pony up the cash. yuji does not live off handouts.

Money before honor. yuji nah help he mattie coolie man. Yuh hear dat, warria? Pony up the cash.

Bhai

I planned and prepared for my children's future including their education. Every parent must prepare for their children's future.

Taking huge investment risks can also be rewarding.

To each his own.

maybe your daughter is not smart enough for you to hope for a scholarship 

My son got a schlorship to Hofstra...well...75% of it anyway...I have to put up the rest

He wants to attend Baruch instead...which is fine also

Dude getting scholarship required smarts,some of

my friend kids got scholarship and they had the

money his daughter got her JD,my son got a grant

in his third year due to his grade i was paying for

his college.

One of the things it can offer them is a reduction of the foriegn labor that enters the market. The Chinese for example do not hire any but for menial labor. All of their labor pool is imported. There ought to be a rule established that you first advertize in the local labor marked to fill posts before hiring alien workers.

The second area that could provide jobs is a strengthening of the manufacturing sector. Afford them the same tax concessions given the Chinese Indians and Malaysians and you can bootstrap local entrepreneurs.

The difficulty in establishing a company has to be simplified and it should be procedural rather than having to go through the filing of  quadruple forms at every turn and sanction of various ministries who all have their hand out. Even opening a bank account is problematic. One should also have the option to open US money accounts since the only ones harmed here is the cambios.

aint that the truth

it always great when someone get a scholarship,my daugther is trying she went on a youth ambassador program last year to the state all expense paid by the US Government they only pick 19 children across canada and she was one and she went to canadian parliament last year for 1 week all expense paid by the canadian government  

Dude, how many jobs did the PPP create since their inception. Chart it and show how significant is the dip with the joint opposition in office since '11. Unfortunately you have no such recourse to facts and simply yap like the idiot you are constantly.

Like what?  You got the Marriott.  Skeldon millions wasted.  \

So what are they blocking?

Amaila Falls after you wasted millions of dollars in awarding the access road contract to a man whose only qualification for the job is that he is an Indian PPP supporter? Why the shock then that most Guyanese view this project with skepticism?

he graduated in he heart of the recession. There are over a quarter of a million jobs being added each month and he certainly has a better chance now if he has a premium skill set. If he is in the tech area he would be in for a shock since being out 5 years puts him at a disadvantage. The shelf life in the tech industry for a skill is about a year.

Lets hope also he is willing to move. There are jobs everywhere but you have to be willing to go out and get them.

 Let him stay at Hofstra

Nehru...the man need to grow up

he applied to this program...awaiting response

http://www.macaulay.cuny.edu/

cool!

You cant imagine how much I agree with you. Tell dat to his Mamma nah.

ayuh mek life too easy fuh he

I miss Guyana, Bang Zoom To the Moon baby.

Guyanese Mamma love their kids,my ex still taking

care of two boys 35 and 25 i got tired and left,

they enjoying life no mtg.

I find it hard to believe any coolie moved to Canada and heroically refused the myriad handouts of the social welfare state.

the ppp have yugi so brainwash he think its okay to lie on this one 

He forgets that almost all of us here have Canadian relatives. As well, we're not as uninformed as the average American on most subjects.