GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Government is currently in talks with several big companies in the energy sector to train some 500 Guyanese women to operate heavy-duty machines in the mining and oil and gas sectors.
President Irfaan Ali said the future undertaking would allow the participants to earn an average salary of GUY$350,000 (One Guyana dollar = US$0.0047)
“The government is going to invest in ensuring that you are certified, and we are going to partner with the private sector, so you move smoothly from certification to employment. These are the commitments that I’m making to you,” he said on Wednesday evening as he addressed a large gathering of women who joined him and First Lady Arya Ali for dinner at State House in recognition of International Women’s Day 2023.
Noting that women are spread across every sector, including the judiciary, aviation, agriculture, manufacturing, health care, and education, President Ali said the successes of Guyanese women are significant and transformative.
72.6 percent of students studying through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) Scholarship Programme are women. At the same time, another 57 percent of persons benefitting from scholarships through the Ministry of Public Service are also women.
Another 69 percent of those trained in public service are women. Eighty percent of the total intake in the education ministry’s technical programs are also women.
At the University of Guyana (UG), 70 percent of the total student population is women. Notably, the withdrawal rate at UG among females is 0.4 percent, among the region’s lowest.
“What that tells you is that not only are women enrolled, women have the staying power, they have the fighting power, they have the sacrifice power, and they can finish what they start. And this is something that men must learn,” President Ali underscored.
Meanwhile, the president stated that 60 percent of the doctors and 98 percent of the nurses are women in the healthcare system.
Another 69 percent of those trained in public service are women. Eighty percent of the total intake in the education ministry’s technical programs are also women.
At the University of Guyana (UG), 70 percent of the total student population is women. Notably, the withdrawal rate at UG among females is 0.4 percent, among the region’s lowest.
“What that tells you is that not only are women enrolled, women have the staying power, they have the fighting power, they have the sacrifice power, and they can finish what they start. And this is something that men must learn,” President Ali underscored.
Meanwhile, the president stated that 60 percent of the doctors and 98 percent of the nurses are women in the healthcare system.
Ali said the administration would continue to work and provide the necessary resources to lessen the burden on the nation’s women.
He added that his government had taken a zero-tolerance policy approach to violence against women.
The president acknowledged that the social issue is a “devil” plaguing the nation and that citizens must stand collectively to combat the scourge.
“How many mothers will cover for their sons? How many wives will cover for their husbands? …. The root cause is our silence; the root cause is our collective guilt…not to stand strong and definitively against violence against women. If we do that, we can eliminate this monster and devil from society,” President Ali said.
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