Govt promises HEYS participants payment by yearend
Participants of the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) programme were assured they will receive outstanding payments owed by the end of December.
Minister within the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, made the promise as she apologised to the HEYS participants who have not been paid since the end of September.
From left: Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson; Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Minister within the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry Valerie Garrido-Lowe
“Before the month is up, you will get your payment. This goes for facilitators, as well as youths. Everything that we owe to you will be given before the month is over,” Minister Garrido-Lowe said during a meeting with residents in Moruca, Region One (Barima Waini).
During the consideration of the Budget estimates in Parliament last week, the Junior Minister conceded that there were many problems plaguing the programme and while she gave assurances that the issues will be addressed, she did not outline any concrete plans for remedying the situation.
The beneficiaries are entitled to a monthly stipend of $30,000, but the payment plan stipulates that only $20,000 would be paid and at the end of the yearly programme, recipients would receive the remainder in bulk – $120,000.
Exceptional graduates will also receive cash grants of $50,000 to be used as start-up capital for a business of their choice.
The problematic HEYS programme, executed under the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, was given the go head to utilise almost $1 billion to fund its programme for 2017.
Launched in 2015 by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change, the programme currently trains in excess of 1800 students using the services of some 373 facilitators across 112 Amerindian villages.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman who was in Moruca to officially hand over street lights to Santa Rosa residents, along with Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, gave their assurances on behalf of the Government that the HEYS participants will be paid and that the issues affecting the programme will be sorted out by next year.
