West Coast Demerara youths enjoyed ICT training

WEST COAST DEMERARA YOUTHS from Meten-Meer-Zorg and surrounding
communities enjoyed Basic Information and Communications Technology Training organised by
the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The skills that we have been teaching you…are a part of the future of Guyana. Not only do we
have plans, programmes and initiatives that will see us moving in particular directions…over the
next (few) years. but it is (you) who will be moving with those plans, programmes and
initiatives,” said Mr. Kwame M c Koy, Minister within the Prime Minister’s office.
M c Koy made the observation at the end of the five-day training programme for the WCD
participants in which he told them they were being prepared for a “great and exciting future”.
He said the information and communication technology (ICT) programme is being executed
nationwide involving hundreds of the nation’s youths. It is tailored to preparing them for the
anticipated technological transformation of Guyana.
The One Lap Top Per Family (OLPF) programme is also part of the plan, M c Koy disclosed.

Participants were exposed to Web Development, Programming, Coding and Robotics for youths
between 10 to 20 years old.

One of the beneficiaries, Tajwattie Lall, said “the programme was very informative. I learnt
about programming, we also learnt the basics of using a computer for example the input and
output devices etc. We also learnt how to send emails (and) how to use the internet properly.”

Another, Matthew Sookoo explained the training was “very helpful to me and I learnt many
things about the computer that I didn’t know before. It was (also) fun because we were at home
all the time and didn’t have anywhere to go.”
A former IT student who was part of the programme, Stephanie Sankar, said she learnt a
significant number of new things.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity. I have learnt so many things I did not know like other parts of
programming; I didn’t know how to create games using programming, so that is one of the things
I learnt. I did word processing and other things but I got the opportunity to be opened to more
opportunities like the games,” Sankar said.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Jasoda Anwar commenting on the training scheme, said: “We
enjoyed the programme learning stuff about excel…it was great, I didn’t know about those
things, now I learn them.”