PM lauds Roadside Baptist Training Centre - as Berbice Male Action Network launched to reduce domestic violence
Georgetown, GINA, May 12, 2012
First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar poses with a graduate holding his certificate
The Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre, Region Six has been playing a significant role in changing the lives of Berbicians by providing them with opportunities to be trained to ensure they elevate themselves and, the centre’s efforts were this afternoon lauded by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the duties of President.
The centre was established with the aim of creating opportunities through the provisions of adult education, skills training and social services for young people, to improve their quality of life today held its 19th graduation ceremony.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds with First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, US Ambassador Brent Hardt, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill and Region Six Chairman, David Armogan at the ceremony
The PM, speaking at the graduation of 153 persons from the centre, said government recognizes and is much appreciative of the training being offered by Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre as it helps to ensure that everyone can answer the call to make a contribution to building and developing Guyana.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Minister Juan Edghill, First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, US Ambassador, Brent Hardt and Region Six Chairman, David Armogan were among some of the guests that witnessed the graduation at the centre’s Number 63 Village, East Berbice address.
The event also served as the launch for the centre’s newest social service programme, the Berbice Male Action Network (BeMAN) funded by a grant under the USAID Governance Enhancement Project with the aim of seeking out and engaging men in the region, in discussion towards effecting positive changes in the prevalence of domestic violence.
The 19th graduates of the Roadside Baptist Skills Learning Centre
Addressing the graduands, Prime Minister Hinds called on them to recognise the acquisition of the skills as a step in the right direction in a process of on-going daily education.
He told them that government has been very focused on equipping its youths with the right education to empower them and to develop the country.
The Prime Minister said that this focus is reflected in the heavy allocation to the education programme and the continuous reform of these programmes.
Government’s concern is still now on those who for one reason or another may not have not been able to take maximum advantage of the primary, secondary and tertiary educational opportunities that government has been affording Guyanese.
Minister Edghill offered pertinent advice to the graduates: to change their way of thinking, their attitude to life, to strive to emulate the right persons and that they reject the concept of being defined by their circumstances.
Attendees at the graduation
He said that if they start thinking in a more positive manner, then they will be better persons.
Attitude, he advised is a key factor in self development and warned that how high someone goes and where, is determined by the person’s attitude. “Our altitude is all determined by attitude,” he warned.
He also recommended that the graduates take time to admire the right things in life as whatever saturates them will determine what comes out of them.
The Minister also spoke to the issue of domestic violence, to which he said that the answer to this and other social ills lay in ‘fixing our men.’ He also said that to do this society has to first help men to understand their purpose.
He said this lies in understanding their spirituality which in turn will liberate them to play the role they were born to play; to protect and improve the female. A man’s failure to fully understand this purpose is resulting in the abuse of the female.
First Lady Ramotar also spoke about the second chance being afforded the graduates and the need for them to make full use of it. Lauding them for having taken advantage of the opportunity provided, she said that this shows their ambition and determination to improve their status, a mark of distinction and a sign of their development.
Ambassador Hardt also commended the graduates’ push to become better. Chosen to formally launch the BeMAN programme, the diplomat said that USAID decided to collaborate with the centre on the programme because of the effectiveness and quality of the previous joint initiatives.
The United States Agency for International Development has been associated with Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre for the last 10 years and collaborated with it in a number of initiatives. The centre also served as a training hub for the One Laptop Per Family Programme.
Adult education and skills training services are also provided by the centre to the community including remedial education, summer enhancement programmes, reading and writing skills and library services.
The BeMAN programme, in addition to addressing domestic violence, also seeks to conduct sessions with teenage and adult males on conflict resolution and to quarterly engage 150 in-school male on gender role, anger management and healthy relationship.
The 153 graduates completed the following programmes; Information Technology (IT,) Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) English and Mathematics, Human Immune-Deficiency Virus (HIV) Peer Educator, Domestic Violence and Counselling Skills.