Several students of the Tuseneng Primary School in Region 8 are in Georgetown on a schools educational tour as part of activities for the 2017 Indigenous Heritage Month of Celebrations.
The students who are accompanied by a teacher arrived in the city on Sunday for a weeklong tour.
The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs was the third stop on the first day of the tour (Monday) for the students who are on their first outing to the city. They also visited the National Library and Red House.
During their visit to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs the students met Vice President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister within the Ministry Valerie Garrido-Lowe and Permanent Secretary Alfred King.
In welcoming the students and teacher, Minister Allicock took the opportunity to brief them about the daily operations of the Ministry as well as key personnel who are tasked with ensuring the Ministry’s mandate to the indigenous peoples is executed efficiently and effectively.
Students were also briefed on the Ministry’s Flagship program the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) program an initiative geared at empowering the indigenous young people.
Minister Allicock said “this is to bring some opportunities to our young people across the country so that they can earn from their own creation by exploiting the natural resources without too much harm, meaning you can get things from the forest without cutting down all the trees, you could get eco-tourism, selling your work or handicraft and sharing your way of life”.
Minister Garrido-Lowe who’s responsibility is for women, children and sports told the students whose age ranges between ten and eleven year that “you will find me talking with women, forming women’s groups and children, what is it you need, you need to learn music, sports equipment, more books to read, uniforms, long boots, rain coats so I represent you”.
Permanent Secretary Alfred King who is a former teacher noted the importance of this exercise saying “we believe that it is indeed a worthwhile experience where you can come into Georgetown and learn about life, learn about economic and other activities and of course make a comparison with the life that you know about in your community and it will allow you to appreciate more and value more the things that you have in your community”.
The students will be given the opportunity to tour the National Museum, Banks DIH Ltd and several monuments located across the city.
This is part of activities in celebration of Indigenous Heritage Month. Every year schools from the hinterland are given the opportunity to travel to the city to learn more about life on the coast land and on their return share the knowledge they would have gained.
The tour continues on Tuesday with the students making their first visit to the National Museum.