Late presidential Advisor on Science, Technology and Sustainable Development Navin Chandarpal was yesterday honoured by the Ministry of Education for being instrumental in crafting of the National Science and Technology plan.
Speaking at the launching of three-day Science and Technology and Innovation Policy Implementation workshop, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said that Chandarpal was instrumental not just in shaping the plan, which was recently approved by Cabinet and in the reestablishment of the National Science and Technology Council but his contributions were responsible for the structuring of the government’s approach to Science, Technology and Innovation which will be included in the soon-to-be-published five-year strategy. Chandarpal’s widow Indranie Chandarpal was presented with a plaque which recognised her husband’s contribution towards the advancement of science and technology. The Guyanese speakers, including National Science Coordinator in the Ministry of Education Petal Punalall-Jetoo acknowledged that as convenor to a Science Policy working group Chandarpal’s work has and will continue to affect Guyanese development.
Punalall-Jetoo told his family in a choked voice that he was her mentor and coach while Manickchand stressed that “he lives in these policies and drafts, he lives in government’s five-year strategy and he will live beyond this policy as policy builds on policy.”
She thanked his widow and daughter who were present for “lending Navin not just to the country by to the world” since Guyana as one of the first Caribbean countries to embrace science and technology for development has been asked to help draft policies by other Caribbean countries.
Chandarpal’s widow in thanking the ministry noted that those who knew Navin “would have known of his passion and dedication for science technology and the environment” and she was grateful that the Ministry of Education and all the educators are involved in this process which he began as early as 2008.
