Georgetown, Guyana – (October 4, 2019) Minister of State, Mrs. Dawn Hastings- Williams, today, commissioned the $1,069,000 Lynette Stephens Resource Centre in Mahdia, Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight). The Centre was named to honour the contributions made by Ms. Stephens, a past Head teacher of the Mahdia Secondary School.
Minister Hastings-Williams, in her feature address, said that while resources are limited, the Government has committed itself to providing the ‘good life for all Guyanese’.
‘Your Government will continue to support you, especially when it comes to education because education is the vehicle for development. The more we educate our nation, the more we have citizens contributing meaningfully to our communities and to the development of the country as a whole,” she said.
The commissioning ceremony was hosted in the compound of the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory.
Minister Hastings-Williams commended the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion and the residents who spearheaded the idea to honour Ms. Stephens and, through consultations, conceptualized the project and worked together to make the centre a reality.
“Residents of Mahdia, you must applaud yourselves for coming up with this wonderful project…This project proves that governmental developmental actions are to be made in consultations with the intended beneficiaries. I am elated and salute you, the donors, because you have exemplified yourselves through this public private partnership. So, I thank you for coming on board and making this Resource Centre a reality,” the Minister said.
She also pledged to have the centre equipped with internet access in the near future adding that since 2015, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications has established in excess of 170 information and communications technology (ICT) hubs across all ten administrative regions.
Meanwhile, Coordinator, Department of Social Cohesion, Ms. Natasha Singh-Lewis, who outlined the project’s history, said the project was first visualised in 2016 and was a collaborative effort between the Department, the Regional Democratic Council and the business community in the region thus fulfilling the mandate of the Department.
“The success of this project is a demonstration of the mission of Social Cohesion in action,” she said.
Meanwhile, His Worship the Mayor of Mahdia, Mr. David Adams said he believes that the opening of the Resource Centre is timely as it will equip the students with the knowledge they need to succeeded and provide them with a sound education.
“Facilities such as this is designed to bridge the disparities that exist between the hinterland and the coastland… This facility is an investment in you, the youths of this region. You are the future leaders of this county and we are committed to providing an enabling environment for you to gain the highest quality of education to leader this nation in the future,” he said.
Additionally, Regional Chairman, Mr. Bonaventure Fredericks said the facility is a long-awaited one which the region and the Department collaborated on and its realization is of great significance to the region.
The residents, RDC and business community raised funds for the construction of the Centre and to furnish same with computers, textbooks, novels, technical drawing sets, geometry sets, chairs, tables, computers, printer and ink.
At the close of her visit to the region, Minister Hasting-Williams also visited the office of Radio Mahdia.
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