Guyana Post Newspaper

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Thursday April 26, 2022

HUNDREDS HAVE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS

BURGLARS BROKE INTO FORMER PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER’S DURBAN BACKLANDS HOME

NEW ROADWAY CAVES IN

MARIJUANA FOUND ON 18-YEAR-OLD LUSIGNAN PRISON INMATE

Friday April 22, 2022

HUNDREDS HAVE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS

The Ministry of Education is set to get a clearer picture of how many students have fallen out of the education system due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The ministry is also set to identify them.

Over the past two years, hundreds of students have fallen out of the system due to them not being able to cope with the demand of

learning from home and other factors.

In the case of the grade six exams, the Ministry found that out of 1400 students some half of them could not be found.

However, now that schools are being opened to full face to face learning, Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, says the Ministry will now have a clearer picture of the impact of drop-outs caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“We will now get a good opportunity to see who are and who aren’t coming in terms of our students.”

Over the past two years, the Ministry of Education was in a

predicament trying to have exams and teaching done in an abnormal environment that saw that a lot of students weren’t turning up to classes or exams.

This led to the implementation of “Operation Recovery” where students and their parents were contacted face to face in places across the country.

It was found during the process that students were not able to access work online. Many had fallen out of the school system–hundreds such have been recorded.

Even with the success of finding the students, many students appeared to fall under the radar and the Ministry is

hoping that with the reopening of schools the return of all students will be a possibility.

“We recognized that we can’t do this thing alone; we can’t find all the missing students,

visit all the homes or where they are, and so on. I think now if we are going to be successful it is important that we have collaboration with all our stakeholders; that is parents, teachers,

the wider community, everyone because we need to look for those students,” Mr. Hutson pointed out.

Mr. Hutson added that this must be a priority or the education system would be hit hard.

NEW ROADWAY CAVES IN The police have blocked the north to south access from the Mandela roundabout along the new road. The

police reported that the caved in. southern side of the east They are allowing to west access road – only south to north traffic just when you turn off on the highway. the new highway – has

ELECTRIC CURRENT RUNNING THROUGH WALLS, FLOODING FORCE CLOSURE OF TUCVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

It was a bitter-sweet moment for students, teachers and ancillary staff of the Tucville High School on the first day of full face to face learning today. The faults of the electrical system, flooding and other issues remain a problem at the school after months of complaining.

The school was to be info@guyanapostonline.com

fully opened after two years. However, tired of complaining about the issues through numerous letters sent to the Ministry of Education for urgent attention, the operation was today stalled at the school and those who worked at the school complained yet again, this time by stepping

away from the classroom.

According to the staff of the institution, who chose not to speak publicly, explained that for months Teachers, Parents, cleaners, and other staff continued to complain that some parts of the school are suspected to be in connection with exposed wires, which had led to a few persons getting shocked.

It was explained that the Education Ministry knew of the situation after months of writing to them and as of today, the issue still remains.

The school also continues to deal with flooding.

On the issue of plumbing, cleaners have noted that running water remains an issue, with them having to use of a bucket to carry water to the various washroom facilities.

This led to the cancellation of face to face learning until next week Tuesday when some of the issues are expected to be rectified.

Classes are expected to resume online following meetings between the Guyana Teachers Union, the school heads and the Ministry of Education.

Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) General Secretary, Coretta McDonald, who visited the school said that touting the reopening of schools must also work hand in hand with ensuring that

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schools are fit to open.

“I was expecting that since we had all the touting about the reopening of schools and full reopening of schools, that all of this system would be checked.

“It’s good for people to talk about the reopening of schools and our children learning lost and these things. While we talk of learning lost and it’s an important aspect we need to look at, we should be dealing with the safety of our charges and their teachers,” Ms. McDonald said.

Ms. McDonald said that there is hope that the school will be fixed or at least most of the problems fixed since students cannot be in an out of school.

“You cannot come into a building that is unsafe for you. So, today we have

the reopening of schools and after about 20 minutes the entire school is closed and they have to result school online.

“Is this what we want?

On and off, on and off as if we don’t know what we are about? I think this is disgusting and I am hoping that after our intervention here and the school is going to be closed physically I’m hoping that this issue is going to be rectified,” Ms McDonald added.

Since the matter has been raised, the Ministry of Education through its Public Relations Team has said that the school will be closed until the building is thoroughly assessed and the matter is rectified and that the teachers have agreed to work online until next Tuesda

Friday April 22, 2022

REGIONAL CHAIRMAN DERON ADAMS’S ADDRESS TO LSD CONSULTATION

It is no longer a debate of whether Climate Change is real since each and every day we all experience its effects through increased temperatures, unprecedented flooding, and drought just to touch on what we can see and feel.

Yes, it is real and it requires aggressive national and global intervention and attention from a country that has one of the largest percentage of forest cover on earth.

The design of the 2009 Low Carbon Development Strategy is one such intervention followed by the Green State Development Strategy and now the Towards 2030 the NEW LCDs. It is clear as Central and Regional Governments, we have demonstrated political will on all fronts and it is even clearer that as Guyanese we continue to prove that climate change is not a partisan political issue but through

our actions, we prove that it is a bi-partisan political issue, a national issue, and a global issue.

As such the final design and implementation of the NEW LCDS must and I stress must include all stakeholders in setting out the vision.

Every Guyanese must feel ownership of this vision if we are to embrace and understand the global mission in the importance of sustainably managing and exploiting our forest cover and reducing our

carbon emissions and footprint in preserving mother earth’s ecosystems for future generations and all life forms.

It is even more important that the national capital earned from conservation initiatives such as the Norway Fund filter down to those affected.

In the context of Region 10, the RDC speaks of our stakeholders and communities affected such as our loggers, miners and indigenous people. Being made aware through consultations such as this one, informs our people of the tangible benefits in conservation and allow us to better embrace and comply with the measures established in initiatives such as the New LCDs. All can be assured that your Regional Democratic Council supports the inclusive and participatory democratic inclusion of stakeholders for the design and implementation of the LCDS that all are involved and all benefit in our one

Guyana.

At this juncture I would like to touch on another matter, the Regional Government system and the disregard and disrespect for the Regional Democratic Council the elected office of the people of Region 10 by the central Government.

May I remind all that the people of Region 10 uncontestably with almost 20,000 votes elected the APNU/AFC as their RDC 10 government?

However, when forums and consultations are held, state-managed media outlets with disrepute refuse to and willfully do not broadcast their voice.

The people of Region 10 elected yours truly, Deron Adams, along with my colleague Councilors, and they in turn elected me Regional Chairman to be your voice and to speak on your behalf. I do this on behalf of ALL of the people of Region 10 regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity, or

background.

The RDC will have to assume that this is an oversight by these outlets and take time to remind all broadcasting companies and agencies that under the Guyana Broadcasting Authority they are mandated to broadcast without fear or favour and with impartiality.

Maybe the statemanaged media in Region 10 does not recognized the RDC 10 as the elected Regional Governing authority.

As such, I hope all the international agencies are listening and I encourage all media outlets to find balance in their broadcasting.

I also put the Government of the Republic of Guyana on notice as I remind you that you are accountable to all Guyanese and the continued disrespect of the people’s elected officials is not something that is accepted nor is it tolerable in the least.W

On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) held an emergency meeting to discuss several matters related to the Regional Examinations.

Coming out of the meeting a decision was made to delay the start of the written and practical components of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

The examinations will be delayed by three weeks with the new start date being May 23, 2022, and end on July 1, 2022.

Results are expected to be released in late August 2022 or early September

2022.

The delay in the start of the written and practical examinations will not affect the oral examinations that have already begun.

The Council has also decided to give a twoweek extension for the submission of SchoolBased Assessments (SBA).

However, students who have already submitted their SBAs can use the additional time to review their work and resubmit.

Similar to the 2021 examinations, CXC will release the broad topics that will be covered in the paper two examinations.

These topics will be released within the next two weeks

BURGLARS BROKE INTO FORMER PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER’S DURBAN BACKLANDS HOME

Former President, David Granger, is now counting his losses after burglars broke into his office and carted off over $600,000 worth of items, including laptops.

The incident occurred just between April 24 and April 25 at Thorne Drive, Durban Backland which the now former President

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uses as a museum.

Items stolen from the location were a 52-inches Samsung Television valued $240,000, one Laco fan valued $ 7,000, four Huawei Laptop computers valued $320,000, one HP printer valued $120,000 and one barber set in a black shoulder bag valued $

50,000 According to a report on the matter, it was explained by the Guard and handyman that he secured the building about 18:45 hours on April 24 and retired home.

On returning around 5:45 the next morning, according to him, he discovered that the locks

on the door to the northern side of the building were on the ground and a window to the northern side opened.

He then immediately began to make checks and discovered the television missing. He said that he contacted the former president who then came and made further checks and discovered the rest of the items missing.

The thieves entered and left via the northern door.

The police were later contacted and the matter was reported. Several persons in the area were questioned, but no useful information was received. Checks were made for possible suspect(s) but to no avail The building was reported secured with grill, locks, wooden doors. The cameras were out of order at the time.

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Friday April 22, 2022

ExxonMobil makes three new discoveries offshore Guyana

ExxonMobil IRVING, Texas – ExxonMobil has made three new discoveries offshore Guyana and has increased its estimate of the recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block to nearly 11 billion oilequivalent barrels.

The three discoveries are southeast of the Liza and Payara developments and bring to five the

discoveries made by ExxonMobil in Guyana in 2022.

The Barreleye-1 well encountered approximately 230 feet (70 meters) of hydrocarbonbearing sandstone and was drilled in 3,840 feet (1,170 meters) of water.

Drilling at Patwa-1 encountered 108 feet (33 meters) of hydrocarbon-

bearing sandstone and was conducted in 6,315 feet (1,925 meters) of water.

The Lukanani-1 well encountered 115 feet (35 meters) of hydrocarbonbearing sandstone and was drilled in a water depth of 4,068 feet (1,240 meters). Operations are ongoing at Barreleye-1 and Lukanani-1.

“These discoveries and the updated resource estimate increase the confidence we have in our ambitious exploration strategy for the Stabroek Block and will help to inform our future development plans for the southeast part of the block,” said Liam Mallon, president of ExxonMobil Upstream

Company.

“ExxonMobil r e m a i n s committed to delivering value at an accelerated pace to the people of Guyana, our partners and shareholders and reliably supplying affordable energy to meet increasing demand around the world.”

ExxonMobil currently has four sanctioned projects offshore Guyana. Liza Phase 1 is producing approximately 130,000 barrels per day using the Liza Destiny floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Liza Phase 2, which started production in February, is steadily ramping up to its capacity of 220,000 barrels per

day using the Liza Unity FPSO. The third project, Payara, is expected to produce 220,000 barrels per day; construction on its production vessel, the Prosperity FPSO, is running approximately five months ahead of schedule with start-up likely before year-end 2023.

The fourth project, Yellowtail, is expected to produce 250,000 barrels per day when the ONE GUYANA FPSO comes online in 2025.

Guyana’s Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration a nd Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds 45% interest in the Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest.

GTT, USAID DONATES GRANTS TO LOCAL INNOVATORS

Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company(GTT) and the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) have given seven Guyanese business owners a grant ranging from US$10,000 to US$30,000 to help fund and develop their businesses in science and technology.

The Guyana Economic Development Trust, a body that consists of many

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Guyanese in diaspora, today hosted a simply ceremony by announcing the winner of the grant.

This comes after a oneyear training programme by experts for some 30 participants in Guyana who dabble in Innovation in science and technology.

The programme was funded by GTT and USAID. In one category, four Guyanese innovators received a grant of US$10,000.

Those

recipients of the Guyana Innovation Prize Awards were Jubilante Cutting of Guyana Animation Network (GAN) and GAN Studios; Vickacy Williams of Aurora Technologies (Decorative Construction Tiles Made from Plastic Waste); and Lisa Dublin of EcoCarb GY (Activated Carbon to Clean Drinking Water Made from Coconut Waste).

Five Guyanese also received a grant of

US30,000 under the Economic Development Accelerator (EDA), a programme that is funded by the USAID. Winner of the 2022 prizes in the Economic Development Accelerator was Tasmin Pellew of Taz Foods (Cookup-ina-Cup); Grace Parris of Asdel Foods (Prepared Packaged Pepperpot); Osric Hacker of Blue Ribbon Mfg. (Vanilla Extract); Dianna Plowell of Pleasurable Flavors (Shake N’ Fry Fish and Poultry Coating) and Dwayne Wade of Country Style Foods (Plantain Chips), US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann Lynch, explained that the US Government will continue to support Guyana, especially in the area of innovation.

“The United States is committed to economic strengthening and diversification of Guyana and this programme

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is just one example.

Commitment to US trade with Guyana is close to $2B annually and small and medium enterprises like some of the ones represented here today must become a part of that trade relationship if Guyana is to effectively diversify its economy,” Ambassador Lynch explained.

Ambassador Lynch also said that those innovations in her Government especially when diversification of the country’s economy will see the avoidance of the Dutch disease.

“Your success is critical for the overall success of Guyana’s economy not just for the jobs you provide but also your assistance for Guyana in avoiding the dreaded Dutch disease.”

Subject to the need for more agricultural produce, Ms. Lynch noted that the US is also supportive of such

initiatives.

Chief Executive Officer of GEDT, Oslene Corrington, who oversees the running of the programme said that the programme will be a continuous process since Guyana has the talent to represent science and technology that can compete with the world.

“This long term relationship is birthing many scientifically and technological oriented start-up in Guyana.

Guyana will become a place of innovation in science and technology; we have the talent.”

Speaking also at the ceremony, GTT Representative, Tanya Wilcott, said that innovation is crucial to preventing the challenges.

The said programme will in the next four years see 120 participants going ahead and more persons given the opportunity to benefit

ACCUSED KILLER REMANDED AFTER FOUR YEARSJarvis’s ON THE RUN body as well as

Damian Bissoon

Four years after being on the run over allegedly stabbing and chopping a Dowding Street, Kitty resident to death over some money, 33-yearold, Shell Road resident, Damian Bissoon, turned up suddenly to the police and was today charged and remanded to prison.

The defendant, Bissoon, appeared this morning before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan and was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

It was disclosed that Bissoon on May 30, 2018 at Barr and Alexander Streets, Kitty, murdered Taj Andrew Jarvis.

It was reported that on the day in question, Bissoon approached Jarvis and asked him for some money. Jarvis responded in the negative and an argument broke out between the two.

The argument escalated and Bissoon allegedly dealt several cuts about

Minister Gail Teixeira, M.P

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, M.P, said ‘findings’ from the national public opinion poll conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) on Guyana’s electoral reform, lacks integrity and do not reflect the views of Guyanese.

Minister Teixeira made it clear that any poll conducted in Guyana that involves humans, must go before the Ministry of Health’s Ethics Committee. In this regard, no request was made or approval granted.

On April 13, 2022, the IRI revealed its ‘findings’ from data it claimed was collected here between January 4 and January 24, 2022. It stated that a high percent of Guyanese believe electoral reforms are necessary.

According to the body,

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to 165 persons above 18 years old reported that they were not registered to vote in an election, while a further 29 percent said they did not vote in the 2020 elections.

“So how can you be coming up with a survey response that says that people were not registered to vote when in fact, they were below the age of 18?

These are questions that come up when we look at the responses in the document,” she stressed.

The minister added that there is a host of odd questions in the survey, pointing to one which asked about whether people would vote in the local government elections regarding the candidate.

“Well first of all we don’t have Local Government Elections, and secondly because elections haven’t been called for Local Government Elections, one doesn’t know who the candidates are or who they will be. So how do you know how to answer that question?”

There were questions also on whether persons felt there was voters’ discrimination which, Minister Teixeira deemed “very ambiguous”.

SOPHIA SHOOTING VICTIM SUCCUMBS TO INJURY

several stab wounds to his stomach.

Jarvis fell to the ground and Bissoon made good his escape. Jarvis who was left lying on the ground was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Subsequently, an arrested warrant was issued for Bissoon, who was never to be seen until Monday when he turned himself over to the police in the company of his lawyer, George Thomas.

He was then charged Yarden Jacobs, a today and remanded to 27-year-old labourer prison until May 17, when his matter will be called of lot 5S North Sophia, succumbed on Tuesday again before at 17:00hrs at the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was receiving treatment for injuries he sustained in a “voters’ discrimination shooting incident.

The incident occurred and voters feeling that on Saturday, April 16, someone may have 2022, at about midnight discriminated against in the Tanary area of them by making North Sophia, involving comments on an ethnic basis are not the same the suspect, and Steve Bacchus. thing.

Investigations revealed And there were no that the now deceased such claims of persons Yarden Jacobs was liming being discriminated at the Tanary North Sophia during the March 2020 along with his cousin, General and Regional elections, the minister Steve Bacchus, when he pointed out. In fact, the got into an argument with observers had declared the suspect.

As a result, Steve the day as peaceful.

Bacchus intervened which The document caused the suspect to disclosed that four percent of the samples pull out a firearm from was taken from Region One, six percent from Region Two, 14 percent from Region Three, 42 percent from Region Four, seven percent from Region Five, 15 percent from Region Six, two percent from Region Seven, two percent from Region Eight, three percent from Region Nine and five percent from Region 10.

With Region Four occupying the largest space on the IRI survey’s geographical map, government is yet to locate at least one of the persons who participated at the exercise, the minister noted.

IRI ‘FINDINGS’ ON GUYANA’S ELECTORAL REFORM LACKS INTEGRITY – MIN. TEIXEIRA the poll was conducted in all regions of Guyana, through face-to-face interviews in respondents’ homes. The IRI claims that the samples consisted of some 1,500 Guyanese adults with a responses rate of 20 percent.

Minister Teixeira said a survey conducted with a 20 percent response rate cannot answer for all Guyanese. After thoroughly assessing the survey, it only leaves one to consider whether the questions were asked in a way persons could clearly interpret, she said.

She stressed that one must be convinced that a survey is done according to ethical, scientific and technical issues and that the methodology and the integrity of the survey must be above board.

“We are concerned how it is managed and because of COVID-19 that whether other means of ensuring that the sample that was used effectively so that people in Guyana between January 4 and January 24, who were being sampled were able to answer,” the minister noted.

Minister Teixeira pointed out that 11 percent of the sample equivalent

Friday April 22, 2022

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his pants pocket and discharge several rounds in the direction of the two cousins.

Jacobs received a gunshot wound to his lower back while Bacchus was shot in his abdomen.

The gunman escaped.

The cousins were later picked up and rushed to the hospital, where Jacobs remained until yesterday when he died around 17:00 hours.

Police Corporal 20844 Brown visited the said hospital on 2022-0426 at about 18:00hrs to check on the shot victims and was informed by medical personnel on duty that Yardan Jacobs had succumbed to his injury.

The body of the deceased is at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary awaiting post-mortem.

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