On December 17, 2021, the inaugural award ceremony of "Guyana-China Friendship Youth Leadership Development Competition" was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy and Ministry of Education of Guyana. Amb. Guo Haiyan and Hon. Minister Priya Manickchand jointly presented awards to 11 outstanding students from secondary schools nationwide who had exemplified in the Competition.
In her remarks, Amb. Guo says that cooperation in education and capacity building has been the consensus and an important cooperation area between China and Guyana. The Competition is a new cooperation project aiming to inspire secondary-school students to make contributions to the development of their community with their wisdom. She congratulates the winners and commends their works showing that they are studious learners, critical thinkers, community builders, and talented leaders. Since 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Guyana, the 2nd competition will be held under the theme of 50 years of the China-Guyana cordial relationship. Those who regrettably did not win this year are encouraged to take the challenge again next year.
Minister Manickchand says that the programme was designed to search for future leaders of the country and motivate youths to explore their talents and skills in art, explore leadership ability and writing, and think beyond the classroom. There are 115 participating learners this year competing for the 11 awards and the interests will inevitably increase in the coming year. She calls on more students to join and stand up to demonstrate their leadership skills.
The Competition was officially launched in March, 2021, by the Chinese Embassy and the Ministry of Education. The Embassy thanks Minister Manickchand, Dr. Jacob Opadeyi, Director of Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), Dr. Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer, Ms. Lorraine Barker-King and her colleagues in the Allied Arts Unit, all regional education departments and school teachers for their considerable efforts to ensure the complete success of the Competition.
