-Manickchand says Hughes’ TVET promises are PPP/C achievements
-cites ‘real’ progress in education sector, urges citizens to compare track records ahead of September elections

NEW Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policies and developed infrastructure for training centres are just a few of the successes of the current administration which were highlighted by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Ministry of Education’s two-day TVET Fair and Exposition currently being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Minister Manickchand responded pointedly to recent promises made by Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Nigel Hughes, concerning Guyana’s technical and vocational education sector.

According to the minister, those proposals are not visionary but are realities already achieved under the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.

In a passionate address to attendees of the fair, Minister Manickchand said she recently heard a presidential hopeful about TVET plans.

Referring to Hughes, she said, “He said he was going to have a national TVET policy. Big man, it done!”

Highlighting the policy already crafted and implemented under the PPP/C, Minister Manickchand said, “This policy is all-encompassing. What do we want to see from nursery to the exit of high school, and thereafter post-secondary for our children? We want to see that every child has the opportunity to be exposed to practical instruction in every single school. And so, very shortly, you’ll see it as you walk through here, students who are already producing and adding value to their products, who are already selling pepper sauce and jams and thyme and other products that are self-sustaining their agri-department,” she shared.

The minister emphasised that major developments in TVET, such as the formulation of a national policy, the construction of training institutions across regions, and the integration of technical education into the broader education system, have already been underway for several years under the PPP/C.

She shared, “He (Hughes) said that he was going to create TVET institutions across this country. Big bro, it done! That he was going to make sure each and every child was exposed to this because we have a new oil sector, big man, the new oil sector been around since your party been in office and you did nothing to advance that sector. And so, I’m saying that deliberately for a reason,” she said.

She made clear that her comments were directed at Nigel Hughes, her legal colleague and the newest presidential candidate of the AFC, whose party she reminded, was part of a coalition that held office from 2015 to 2020 but failed to deliver on such initiatives.

“Nigel’s party was in office for five years when they knew we had already found oil and they didn’t build a single new TVET institution. They didn’t build a single new high school. They didn’t put a single new policy in place that would see TVET being advanced through each and every one of our children. None!” she stated.

Moreover, the education minister made it clear that while the current government welcomes healthy political discourse, citizens must make decisions based on tangible progress and track records, not empty promises and plans for projects already achieved. “They will come to you now with an accent and with authority on their own self-promoting show without the ability for interrogation of these wild things they say. And they will make promises.”

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

Meanwhile, Minister Manickchand urged voters to reflect on the contrast between past leadership and the PPP/C’s proven efforts to expand access and opportunity for youth across the country.

She said her ministry is focused on preparing young Guyanese for the modern workforce, particularly with the expansion of the oil and gas sector and the increasing demand for skilled Guyanese. “We are creating opportunities for you that allow you to take up positions here that foreigners don’t have to come and snatch from you. But that calls for leadership. That calls for direction. It calls for vision. It calls for hard work,” she said.

The minister reminded attendees that the government’s plans are not visions, they are already in motion, with nine regions equipped with state-of-the-art TVET facilities, a record number of students being trained, and CVQ certification slated to become a standard part of the secondary school curriculum. “When I came into office in 2019, we had nine schools offering four CVQ subjects. CVQ is Caribbean Vocational Qualification where you get a certificate for it. Today, because of conscious investment, planning, getting on the ground, putting the facilities in place, we have seventy-four secondary schools across Guyana offering twenty-four CVQ subjects,” she shared.

Closing her remarks, Minister Manickchand encouraged patrons to fully explore the exposition and appreciate the work of the students, teachers, and technical experts who are actively shaping Guyana’s future. With general and regional elections fast approaching, she called on voters to carefully evaluate the evidence before them.
“I will say to you, you have enough before you to be able to make informed choices that will keep each and every home on a trajectory of growth in this country. You have enough before you to compare because to get to a place of information where your choices are informed, I expect you to compare.”

She further added, “Compare the parties before you because your very life, depends on it. Your children’s life depends on it.”

Source: https://guyanachronicle.com/2025/06/18/big-man-it-done/