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25 persons begin aviation training Aug 21, 2024 News Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field and trainees Kaieteur News – Twenty-five individuals are set to embark on specialised training in air traffic control assistance and aeronautical information services at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and the Civil Aviation Training School. This six-month programme, one of the largest of its kind, has attracted participants from various regions, including Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven, with additional recruits from Regions Nine and Ten following a recruitment drive in Georgetown. The training began with an opening ceremony at the Timehri Control Tower on Monday, where trainee Hanifa Simeon, a resident of Paruima, expressed her enthusiasm for the programme. Simeon described the opportunity as a rare chance for individuals from the hinterland to pursue careers in aviation. “Out in the hinterland, sometimes it is really difficult for us, we don’t always get these job opportunities but then this came up so it is a rare opportunity for me as an Amerindian. When I was younger in school, I wanted to be a pilot but my parents didn’t have the money so when they told us they were funding this, I felt like it was a great opportunity for me,” she told the Department of Public Information (DPI). Another trainee, Saskia Sparman, who hails from Timehri, shared her excitement about the programme, noting that her lifelong curiosity about aviation inspired her to seize the opportunity. “I’ve always been curious about how the aviation system works,” she said. Sparman further emphasised the importance of taking advantage of government initiatives like this, which she believes offer valuable career opportunities for persons. Navendra Narine, one of the youngest trainees, expressed his eagerness to start the programme, having counted down the days until he was eligible. He noted that it is his passion to be part of the aviation sector by any means, to contribute meaningfully to the service and safety of passengers. The training programme will consist of three months of academic instruction followed by three months of practical, on-the-job training. Training is scheduled from 8:00 hours to 15:30 hours, Monday through Friday. Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, addressed the trainees during the ceremony, offering words of encouragement while emphasising the importance of punctuality, focus, and teamwork. He stressed that lateness among pilots and air navigation officers is a known contributor to accidents, urging the trainees to make punctuality a habit. “Pilots and air navigational officers who are late are the ones who create accidents because when you are late, you have to cut corners to make up for time that was lost. The necessary checks and the necessary protocols are not in place when you are late so punctuality must become a lifestyle,” he stated. Similarly, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field, urged trainees to take their studies seriously. “Guiding those pilots and aircraft through our skies is serious business. I want you to throw away all childish behaviour and take up the mantle of safety consciousness,” Field advised. Principal of the aviation school, Clifford Van Doimen, also welcomed the new trainees, encouraging them to make the most of the training. The programme requires participants to be between 19 and 26 years old, with at least five CXC subjects, including Mathematics and English. Successful graduates of the training are guaranteed employment with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, with ongoing training opportunities for career advancement. (DPI) Related Similar Articles

Guyana records decline in Math, English at CSEC – Chief Education Officer   Aug 21, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Chief Education Officer (CEO), Suddam Hussain revealed on Tuesday that Guyana has seen a decline in performance in Mathematics and English at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level in 2024. Chief Education Officer (CEO) at the Ministry of Education, Suddam Hussain Hussain made the announcements at the release of the 2024 CAPE and CSEC results held at the Queen’s College Auditorium. In 2024, 721 students from 17 secondary schools and private centres across Guyana wrote the CAPE exams, an increase from 701 candidates in 2023. The overall pass rate for CAPE remained at 93%. Candidates entered 60 units across 33 subject areas, with several subjects achieving 100% passes. Regarding the CAPE results, Hussain disclosed that 25 units across various subjects achieved a remarkable 100% pass rate, including Agricultural Science Unit 1, Animation and Gaming Unit 1 and 2, Applied Mathematics Unit 2, Computer Science Unit 2, Pure Mathematics Unit 1 and 2, Economics Unit 2, Environmental Science Unit 1, Geography Unit 1, Entrepreneurship Unit 2, Green Engineering Unit 1 and 2, Spanish Unit 2, Physical Education and Sports Unit 1, Performing Arts Unit 1 and 2, Logistics Unit 1, Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing Unit 1, Food and Nutrition Unit 2, Information Technology Unit 2, Physics Unit 2, Tourism Unit 1 and 2, and Electrical and Electronic Technology Unit 1. However, the news was less positive for the CSEC exams. In 2024, a total of 11,612 students entered for CSEC, a slight decrease from 12,108 in 2023. The CEO stated that the overall pass rate for grades 1-3 declined from 67.34% in 2023 to 67.23% in 2024. Specifically, he highlighted declines in English A, where pass rates fell from 72% in 2023 to 69% in 2024 – a 3% drop. In contrast, English B pass rates improved from 64% in 2023 to 70% in 2024. Notably, Mathematics pass rates also saw a 3% decrease, dropping from 34% in 2023 to 31% in 2024. However, Additional Mathematics recorded an increase in pass rates, rising to 53% in 2024. Notably, in the sciences, Chemistry saw a decline from 60% in 2023 to 59% in 2024, while Integrated Science also recorded lower pass rates. However, Physics improved from 54% in 2023 to 66% in 2024. Hussian stated that there were mixed performances in the business-related subjects.  Principles of Business saw a 1% increase in pass rate, rising to 74%. However, he added that Economics showed a slight decline, dropping from 74% to 71%. Principle of Accounts maintained a pass rate of 68% in 2024.  Office Administration and EDPM recorded improved performances, with Office Administration moving from 85% to 88%, and EDPM from 87% to 93%. Social studies also saw an increase, rising from 53% to 58% in 2024. Conversely, Caribbean History recorded a slight decline, going from 67% in 2023 to 64% in 2024. Geography pass rates improved from 37% to 42%, while Religious Education maintained a high pass rate of 88%. Music recorded a 50% pass rate, while Visual Arts, a subject that was part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) priority programme, saw a significant increase from 74% to 84%. Related Similar Articles

GWI says water quality, supply improving in Central Georgetown  Aug 21, 2024 News Images showing the water samples taken on August 20, 2024, from various areas in Central Georgetown which indicate improvements in the clarity of the water Kaieteur News – The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) said there has been a steady improvement of the water quality in Central Georgetown since the press briefing held August 15, 2024, where the company outlined the challenges experienced at its Shelterbelt operations. “As daily monitoring and water quality testing continue, the results have shown continuous improvements in the quality and supply,” GWI said in a press release. According to the water company while some areas such as Stabroek, Regent Street, Hadfield and Alberttown are showing high levels of water clarity, other areas at the further end of the distribution network including Kitty and Charlestown are experiencing gradual improvements. In response, GWI has dispatched technical teams and is aggressively flushing the network to improve the clarity of the water. “GWI remains committed and is working assiduously to ensure the situation continues to improve so residents can have access to better quality of water,” the statement added. Related Similar Articles

Jagdeo praises Amerindians for making use of small amounts of money Aug 21, 2024 News – wants coastlanders to follow suit Kaieteur News – Vice-President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday highly praised Amerindian villages at the ongoing National Toshaos Council Conference for being able to make good use of the “relatively small amounts of money” that his government has given them as grants. The Toshaos and village leaders were at the time reporting what they were able to achieve with a mere $1M the government had granted them for sport development, when the VP interjected. Vice President Bharrat Jagde on Tuesday at National Toshaos Council Conference (NTCC) “It’s amazing how much people have been able to accomplish in these communities using relatively small sums of money”, Jagdeo said while adding that he wants coastlanders to take a page out of their book. “Coastal people don’t do voluntary work, everything you (the government) got to do, even weed the grass on the ground,” the VP continued before iterating “for those of us who live on the coast we should take a lesson from what these people have been able to do.” “On the coastal area people are always complaining even if the grass grows a little bit they always complain,” he noted. Although the Toshaos were able to upgrade some of their grounds with needed infrastructure they still made it clear to Jagdeo that the money received is only “a small change” and is not sufficient to complete some of their projects.  One Toshao said he was left without money to pay workmen (men from his village) to build a pavilion at his village’s sports ground. Others noted that price for materials at location is high and to fly them in is expensive too. The Government at the NTCC committed to giving them another $1M and when some of them opined that it might still not be enough, Jagdeo, despite acknowledging that the grants are “relatively small amounts of money” advised that they can use some of their “LCDS Money,” (Carbon Credit Funds). Some 242 villages will have to divide a total US$23.2M the government has allocated to indigenous communities from this year’s Carbon Credit Sales.Those monies were divided up on Tuesday based on the population of each village, a formula that the NTC (National Toshaos council) had agreed on last year. Villages with a population of over 1000 received GYD$35M each, other villages with a population between 500 and a thousand received GYD$ 24M while those with smaller population only got GYD$15M. This amount might still not be enough for some villages to accomplish what they need. Nevertheless, the VP, Jagdeo, has been calling on Guyanese to live within their means although the county is among the largest and most lucrative oil producing nations in the world.  Guyana was shortchanged with its Stabroek block oil deal signed in 2015. The contract favours ExxonMobil and its partners more than the people of Guyana and Jagdeo himself has acknowledged this multiple times. However, he is unwilling to take a stand to renegotiate the deal which will definitely increase the revenues that the citizens of Guyana are receiving now and even in the future. The VP in 2021, during a Barker Institute Conversation while attending the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston Texas, USA had said, “We don’t see ourselves wealthy as yet, oil revenue, the magnitude that would see major flow to Guyana is not coming for the next few years”. Back then Guyana was only receiving US$300M to US$400M a year, so the VP continued: “US$300M/US$400M a year now is not a lot of money and many people think, oh the wealth will come tomorrow or, it’s here today and suddenly we have to start splurging.” Jagdeo as such was adamant, “We have to live within our means for quite a while into the future”. He had even doubled down on his position by adding, “People believe we have a lot of money to give,” and drew reference to publicly voiced opinions, initially by professor, Clive Thomas, who has called for a US$5,000 cash transfer to each Guyanese families annually, a proposal which Jagdeo rubbished. Related Similar Articles

Upgrade to CJIA baggage system faces fresh delays Aug 21, 2024 News Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill – as Govt. fires contractor over poor performance Kaieteur News – The planned upgrade to the baggage handling system at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is facing fresh delays as the government recently fired the contractor over poor performance. Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill had announced a move to upgrade the system to better cater for increasing flow of international passengers at CJIA.  The airport was scheduled to benefit from significant upgrade aimed at enhancing passenger’s travel experience and giving Guyana’s tourism sector a boost. Edghill told Kaieteur News on Tuesday that the contractor, K&S General Construction was terminated due to a failure to meet the project deadline. “There were several delays in the works being completed so the government had to take decisive action and so now we must retender the project and invite a restricted number of contractors to bid to complete the project.” The minister expressed his disappointment at the delays even as he stressed the importance of the baggage handling system in the overall management of the airport. The upgraded system would have streamlined baggage handling and reduce wait times for travelers. It will also eliminate the need for passengers to take their bags to the scanner. “The baggage make-up area is important for the efficiency of the airport but the airport has written me as a minister, informing me of the failure of the contractor and we’re addressing it,” Edghill stated. Meanwhile in an invited comment, Chief Executive Officer at CJIA, Ramesh Ghir told this publication that the baggage system upgrade was supposed to be completed in July. “The original completion date was April 16, that was the first deadline then he committed to July but he failed to meet that deadline as well, we eventually gave the firm a notice of termination because we could not go on with the delays to such a critical part of daily operation,” Ghir added. He explained that the new In-line baggage system would make process a lot much efficient for passengers and airline workers. “We had to do some civil works which is really an extension cover for the area that was going to accommodate the equipment,” the airport CEO explained. He noted that the project which was pegged at $81 million is at least 60 percent complete. “To complete the works, we are now going to shortlist some contractors to submit bids to finish the works,” he said. Ghir noted too that the previous contractor was being paid for measured work done. “So, as far as we know we should have enough money to pay for the project to be completed.  Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill had announced a set of upgrades to CJIA including the construction of the Commercial Centre –to create a more modern and comfortable space for passengers and the construction of a brand-new administrative office building –to improve efficiency and operations for over 300 airport staff. During an inspection of the site back in June, Minister Edghill said the government is dedicated to ensuring these projects are completed on schedule and to a high standard.  He said these upgrades are part of a broader initiative to modernize CJIA and transform it into a world-class facility for Guyana. These additional works on the commercial centre will see new spaces for food concession areas, 15 duty-free shops, lounges, play parks, and restaurants along with a new administration building to house the airport’s more than 300 airport staff. Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Inc was contracted to build the administrative building with a budget of $890 million and on the rigid pavement with a budget of $703 million, while PD Contracting is working on the $874 million Commercial Centre. Related Similar Articles

Blame it on the rain! – Govt. blames rain, outdated mining practices for declining gold production Aug 21, 2024 News Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat Kaieteur News – Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, has attributed the steady decline in gold production and declaration over recent years to a combination of unfavourable weather conditions, outdated mining practices, and labour shortages. Speaking at a recent press conference, Bharrat outlined the challenges facing the gold mining sector and the efforts being made to address them. This publication had reported that from 2019 to 2023, gold declarations dropped by approximately 209,000 troy ounces, according to the Bank of Guyana annual reports. Recently, the government had warned gold smugglers to desist from the practice. During his recent press conference, Minister Bharrat pointed out that gold production has been on a downward trend since its peak in 2016. “I don’t think it’s any secret that gold production has been at the decline. I think if you look at the chart, you will see 2016 peak, and then after that, it went straight up and continues in the 2022-2023,” Bharrat said. He highlighted that several factors have contributed to this decline, particularly severe weather conditions. “In 2021 and 2022, there was significant flooding, not only on the coast, but the hinterland communities. I myself went into the Mazaruni district, and I saw the devastation of the flooding in that major mining district,” Bharrat explained. He added that in 2023, the industry was hit by a significant drought, which hindered operations in key mining areas. “Some people were unable to go and work simply because there was no water,” he noted. The minister noted that the situation has reversed again in 2024 with another bout of significant flooding, further complicating mining activities. Bharrat also highlighted issues related to the mining practices of small and medium-scale miners, noting that many have been repeatedly mining the same properties resulting in low recovery rates. “The other reason being, which we have noticed, and I think it was mentioned by the commissioner, is that for decades, our small and medium-scale miners have been mining the same properties over and over again,” the minister said. “[Small and medium-scale miners] recovery rate in gold mining is too low, 35-40% is way too low,” he stated. The ministry is working with miners to introduce new methods and technology to increase recovery rates, which Bharrat believes will lead to higher production and profitability. In addition to technical challenges, the minister pointed to the accessibility of mining lands as a significant barrier for small miners. “Accessibility to land has always been a cry from small miners,” Bharrat said, stressing the need for more prospecting to ensure mineralized properties before investment. Labour shortages in the mining sector are another growing concern. Bharrat noted that many miners are moving away from the industry, often shifting to more lucrative opportunities in the oil and gas or construction sectors. “What we have seen is a lot of people moving from the mining sector into the oil and gas or construction sectors, or they are engaged in other sectors while they’ve scaled down their activities in the mining sector,” Bharrat explained. Despite these challenges, Bharrat affirmed that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is actively working to address the issues, particularly by increasing recovery rates and improving access to mining lands. Recently, Kaieteur News reported that the Bank of Guyana (BoG) has reported that the country’s gold declaration decreased within the first three months of 2024. According to the Central Bank, the declaration fell to 89,845.8 troy ounces, when compared to the same period last year. It was stated that the dip in the gold declaration was mainly due to lower declarations from small- and medium-scale miners by 24.2 %.  It was explained that the lower declaration is as a result of prolonged dry weather which made access to water limited in many mining areas. Notably, it was stated that the sole large-scale operator, Aurora Gold Mine Inc. (AGM), Zijin Mining’s, recorded an increase in declarations by 5.2%, which resulted from continued favourable performance in their underground mining operations. In Guyana’s gold industry, there has been a noticeable decline in declarations over the past several years.  Kaieteur News had reported that from 2019 to 2023, gold declarations dropped by approximately 209,000 troy ounces, according to the BOG annual reports. With Guyana’s gold declarations dropping by approximately 209,000 troy ounces over the past five years, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo expressed the Government of Guyana’s concern about this trend.  He had warned that strict penalties would be imposed on those found guilty of under-reporting gold declarations to evade taxes and royalties. Jagdeo said at one of his previous press conferences, “We are still very concerned about what is happening in the market,” adding, “We believe that there are people that are not selling to the Gold Board to avoid taxes and we believe at that time that it was organised and that it was having an impact.” Related Similar Articles

The government cleaning and de people messin Aug 21, 2024 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – The government cleanin’ up, but how long before de rubbish pile up again? Is like throwin’ water on duck back—no matter how much yuh wash, de duck still gon’ go back in de mud. Dem clean up de city, haul away tons o’ garbage, but soon as dem done, here comes Johnny Walker and Miss Toss-it-Anywhere. Yuh see, is not de government or de City Council dat cause dis mess. Is we! We turn into litter monsters, not even bugs anymore. We throw way garbage like it’s a national sport—bottles flyin’ out car windows, bags o’ trash dumped at de corner, cups and cans decoratin’ de streets like some ugly festival. Is like some people believe de road is dey private dustbin, an’ dem expectin’ somebody else to pick it up. Dem boys seh de government coulda put one million garbage bins on every street corner, but yuh think dat gon’ stop people from tossin’ dey trash anywhere but in de bin? Nah man, as soon as de bin full, is de ground that’s gon’ collect de rest. Is true, de authorities coulda do more. More fines, more clean-up drives, more public shamin’ maybe. But yuh see, de real problem is not de authorities—it’s we. We like to act all prim an’ proper when we go foreign. We wouldn’t dare drop a sweetie paper on de streets o’ New York or London. But right here at home, is like de rules don’t apply. We quick to break de law an’ quicker to blame somebody else. Dem boys seh unless we change we nasty ways, de faster de government clean, de faster we gon’ mess up again. Is time we stop being litter monsters an’ start takin’ pride in we country. Or else, we might as well give up an’ start buildin’ we houses on top de garbage. At least we wouldn’t have far to go to dump de next load.  Talk half. Leff half! Related Similar Articles