Scholarship outreach widens to Crabwood Creek and Corriverton
After wrapping up a joint outreach at Black Bush Polder, East Berbice, Corentyne, Region Six, Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag on Monday widened her engagements to the villages of Crabwood Creek and Corriverton.
There, she engaged residents on the advantages of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), emphasizing the need for them to immediately capitalize on the landmark initiative.
Minister Parag, accompanied by her team, also assisted persons with filling out and submitting their application forms for scholarships, ranging from certificate courses and bachelor degrees to master degrees and doctorates.
In her sixth outreach to Berbice, Minister Parag assured the residents that even though the arrangement to benefit from free education at such high levels may seem too good to be true, there is absolutely no catch, and being awarded a scholarship will not leave them bonded to the government.
“You cannot afford to let such an opportunity pass you by,” Minister Parag stressed.
The Hon. Savitri Sonia Parag and team from GOAL and the Ministry of Public Service, held the first outreach for the 20,000 online scholarships commencing in several communities in Region #6. In the upcoming days and weeks the team will be in every Region across the country offering this opportunity to everyone 18 years and above.
In preparation for the launch of the 20,000 online Scholarships, the Honourable Minister Sonia Parag And team visited the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) located in the Ogle Estate. Minister Parag engaged with Professor Jacob Opadeyi and staff discussing and strategizing the way forward for the success of the Academy. The 20,000 online Scholarships is a significant Manifesto promise crafted by the PPP/C Administration and is expected to facilitate the development of the human resource in Guyana over the next five years.
Today the Hon. Minister of Public Service received a courtesy call from the Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Mark K. Berman and his team. Discussions were held in several areas of interest pertinent to the mandate of the Ministry of Public Service.
Earlier today, Hon.Savitri Sonia Parag- Minister of Public Service, received a donation of two laptops on behalf of the Ministry of Public Service from Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Ms. Claire Chung and Mr. Kamal Seeberan. These laptops were then presented to two young ladies from from St Cuthbert’s Mission; Naira Simon who was recently granted a scholarship to study at the University of Guyana and Rossina Jacobs who excelled at the Caribbean Secondary Schools Examination. The Ministry of Public Service commends the generosity of the sponosors and look forward to serving the Nation youths even more.
Eighteen-year-old Ms. Kezia King’s dream of pursuing a degree in Social Work at the University of Guyana (UG) has become a reality with the help of the Ministry of Public Service.
Minister of Public Service, Hon Sonia Parag hands over the scholarship documents to Ms. Kezia King.
Minister of Public Service, Hon Sonia Parag (centre) and Permanent Secretary, Ms. Soyinka Grogan (right) during the meeting with Ms. Kezia King and her relatives.
Kezia’s life changed drastically ten months ago after her mother was brutally killed in front of her and her younger brother. In an effort to move on with her life, the young woman enrolled at the University of Guyana to pursue a degree, but with limited financial resources, this proved challenging.
However, on Wednesday, Kezia was given a full Government scholarship to attend the university.
Minister of Public Service, Hon Sonia Parag, told DPI that she learnt of Kezia’s plight after reading an article in a local news publication.
“After I learnt of this horrific tragedy, I decided to reach out to Kezia and speak with her with a view to granting a scholarship. I was moved by her determination to take such a traumatic experience and turn it into something constructive which would benefit others,” the Minister said.
Kezia, who hails from Bartica, travelled to Georgetown with her aunt, Ms. Kellyann Speede and uncle, Mr. Lennox Lyte to meet the Minister. Speaking to DPI at the Minister’s Waterloo Street office, Kezia was overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I appreciate the steps they have taken in trying to help me and my sibling. This is a big step for me because of what I’ve been through,” she said.
The young woman is currently in her first year at UG and plans to work for the Government once she has completed her programme. She wants to help people, particularly women, who are in similar situations.
Minister of Public Service, Hon. Sonia Parag, this morning, met with various ministries’ Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers virtually, to discuss the way forward to improve the delivery of the public service. The event was held under the theme, “Transformed: Creating a modern and Professional Public Service”
— new PPP/C Gov’t committed to increasing opportunities for youth
DPI, Guyana, Monday, August 17, 2020
In keeping with its commitment to develop youth and increase access to opportunities, the new PPP/C Government will be providing 20,000 online scholarships to Guyanese to enable their educational and professional advancement within the next five years.
This was revealed by Minister of the Public Service, Hon. Sonia Parag, who noted that this initiative is one of the PPP/C’s manifesto assurances.
Minister of the Public Service, Hon. Sonia Parag, receives a token from the Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa
Already, the Minister has secured an increase in scholarships to Indian Universities following a courtesy call with the Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, on Monday.
She revealed that previously, only 24 scholarships to India were offered.
“What we will do is strengthen our bilateral and multilateral relations with our current providers of scholarships… that is one of the immediate policies we plan to implement,”Minister Parag explained.
The Minister further noted that currently, India is exploring the transition to full-time online education delivery, in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has greatly restricted in-person lectures and physical learning environments globally.
Additionally, Minister Parag, in her early days of office, has taken a hands-on approach at improving the efficiency of the public service, noting that the Ministry will serve a threefold purpose; Policy Development and Administration, Human Resource Management, and Human Resources Development.
The PPP/C Government will be implementing a performance analysis system to restructure and vastly improve public sector services for greater efficiency. Among the Government’s plans are to professionalise the public sector, bringing it up to par with modern standards to deliver better quality.
“[We will] restore confidence in the public when they have to deal with the Public Service,”the Minister said.
Scholarships are currently being offered in dozens of subject areas at the Bachelors, Masters, and PhD levels to the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies, and various universities in China, the United Kingdom, the United States and India.
For more information on the Government of Guyana and Donor scholarships, see here.
