– MinisterAn educational exchange programme between the hinterland and the coast will strengthen the government’s objective of increase educational equity and bridging the regions.Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine affirmed this objective at the Graduation Exercise of the Hinterland Scholarship Programme at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Liliendaal, East Coast of Demerara, yesterday.The Hinterland Scholarship Programme is an initiative which spans almost five decades and grants outstanding students in the region the opportunity to study at schools on the coast, with the provision of dorms and allowances.“We want to ensure that any child who transfers from the coast to the hinterland should not have any significant change in their education,” said Minister Roopnaraine. In saying this, he pointed out that the hinterland has benefitted from a “unilateral” relationship where the Coast has seen a “gold standard” in education.However,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, he explained that this should not be the case as the value of the country’s natural resources increases. In an era where sustainable development in natural resources is critical,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, Minister Roopnaraine said that traditional knowledge from the hinterland will come at a premium value.A graduate of the Hinterland Scholarship Programme receives her certificate from Minister of Education, Dr Rupert RoopnaraineA section of the audience at the graduation exerciseDue to the “upsurge” in the value of the hinterland region on the international stage, the Education Minister said he would like to see students from the coast having a similar initiative to the Hinterland Scholarship Programme.To that end, Minister Roopnaraine said that the country needs to start looking at scholarship programmes geared towards exceptional coastland students. Such programmes to the hinterland would allow students to study the vast wealth of Guyana’s natural resources.It is time, the Minister said, that the coastland recognises that it has a great deal to learn from the hinterland.Meanwhile, in her address to the graduates,Wholesale China Jerseys, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe agreed that the hinterland can educate the coast and that it was time Guyana recognises that.She further pointed out that it was a day to celebrate the achievements of and the sacrifices made by the 69 beneficiaries of the five-year programme.“Few understand the sacrifices you have made. It’s not easy to leave your parents’ home at such a young age… there is heartache, emotional suffering and dis-attachment,” the Minister said.The Minister pointed out that many students still face humiliation in their transition to the coast. As the two regions share distinctly different cultures, Minister Garrido-Lowe said that many of the students are made to feel ashamed of their home.She however advised that they should embrace their centuries-old culture and be proud of who they are and what they have achieved. As the students move forward in life, she said that the “hurdles” they have faced in their secondary education has prepared them for the world.“For those of you who have completed the five years and are going on to either technical or tertiary levels, you are conquering those hurdles,Authentic NHL Jerseys, like how countless others have conquered the discriminations in times before,” said the Minister.The Government’s agenda will be to establish technical and agricultural institutes in Region One, Seven,NHL Jerseys From China, Eight and Nine to the benefit of Indigenous persons who wish to further their education in those regions. By establishing such institutes, inhabitants of the region will be better equipped to sustainably develop their communities in areas like the demarcation of traditional lands.In her closing remarks, the Minister challenged the graduates to take up a project in their respective communities; projects which will benefit the region and put into practice the valuable skills they have learnt in their five years of secondary study.Additionally, Minister Garrido-Lowe vowed to repair the road leading to the Hinterland Scholarship dormitories with the help of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.