One hundred and fifty-three students graduated from the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre’s 19th graduation ceremony two Saturdays ago after which the Centre launched its BeMAN programme.
In his address to the graduates, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said acquiring skills is a step in the right direction in a process of ongoing education. Hinds, who had been performing the duties of president, said government is focused on equipping youths with education to empower them to make meaningful contributions to nation-building and it was appreciative of the programmes offered at the Centre. The prime minister said government had allocated large sums for education programmes and the continuous reform of these programmes as it remains committed to providing learning opportunities for early school leavers and others who had not taken advantage of the opportunities offered at the primary, secondary and tertiary education levels.
The graduates completed courses in Information Technology, CXC English and Mathematics, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Peer Education, Domestic Violence and Counselling Skills, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. Minister in the Ministry of Finance Minister Juan Edghill, US Ambassador Brent Hardt, First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar and Region Six Chairman David Armogan also attended the ceremony.
In his address, Edghill urged the graduates to change their way of thinking, their attitude to life and encouraged them to emulate the right persons and to reject the concept of being defined by their circumstances. Attitude, he noted is a key factor in self development. “Our altitude is all determined by attitude,” he advised.
The First Lady praised the graduates for embarking on a journey that has equipped them with valuable skills and the second chance to succeed. She noted that this was a true demonstration of their ambition and determination to improve their status; it was a mark of distinction and a sign of their development.
BeMAN programme
The Centre also launched its newest social service programme, the Berbice Male Action Network (BeMAN) funded by a grant under the USAID Governance Enhancement Project. The programme aims to engage men in the region in discussions about effecting positive changes in treating domestic violence. In addition to addressing domestic violence, it also seeks to host sessions with teenage boys and men on conflict resolution and engage 150 in-school boys on gender roles, anger management and healthy relationships on a quarterly basis.
Edghill said the answer to addressing domestic violence lay in “fixing our men.” He said society had to first help men to understand their purpose which starts with understanding their spirituality which in turn will liberate them to fulfil their destiny which is to protect and improve the female. “A man’s failure to fully understand this purpose is resulting in the abuse of the female,” Edghill said.
Ambassador Hardt also commended the graduates’ push to become better. In his address to formally open the BeMAN programme, he said that the United States Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID) decided to collaborate with the Centre on the programme because of the effectiveness and quality of previous joint initiatives. USAID has been associated with the Centre for the last 10 years and had collaborated with it in a number of initiatives.
The Region Six centre was established with the aim of creating opportunities through the provision of adult education and social services for young people. It also served as a training hub for the One Laptop Per Family Pro-gramme and provides skills training services to the community, including remedial education, summer enhancement programmes, reading and writing skills and library services.
