GPF gives over $5M in bursary awards to NGSA students

To demonstrate its commitment of recognising academic achievements of its members’ children, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday hosted its annual bursary awards ceremony, which saw some 156 students who sat the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and obtained excellent grades receiving monetary awards.

The 156 students received over $5 million. Statistics of this year’s performance revealed that of the total recipients, the highest recipient gained 519 compared to last year’s 515. This year, the figures have shown an increase in overall performance of the awardees, and was deemed most outstanding from previous years.
Recognising this success, Police Commissioner Leslie James in his brief remarks directed words of encouragement to parents and guardians, in which he urged them to show continuous support towards their children’s educational journey as they are Guyana’s future.

“I would equally urge the parents and guardians who have brought you thus far, to continue to support you towards that achievement towards that goal. It’s not difficult as you would realise today, because whatever you would’ve put in that is what you achieve…it is required of us to mould you as being the potential person for the next generation,” the Commissioner noted.
Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson, in his feature address, conveyed a similar message to the attendees, as he stressed on the significance of education in today’s society.
“I believe it is opportune, it is right, it is timely to celebrate this fundamental resource, because if as a nation we are going to expand, we are going to grow, we are going to develop, education is pivotal…no nation can really advance purposefully without education,” he underscored.
On this note, the CEO reiterated how important it is for a child’s family, especially their parents, to be involved in his/her upbringing, particularly in the area of education.
“Change does not happen, it has to be caused and what better place for change to take place than at the level of the family which is considered the basic unit of society. So parents have a fundamental role to play in equipping children and allowing them to enjoy some degree of education,” Hutson affirmed.
The student receiving the Force’s top prize of $200,000 was Dellon Graham— grandson of Assistant Police Commissioner Maxine Graham— who secured 519 marks at the NGSA.
The awards were handed out at the officers’ Mess Office in Eve Leary, Georgetown, and each of the 156 students received financial grants of $25,000 each, along with a $2000 voucher. Some of the organisations which would’ve contributed financially to offer these awards include: the Ex-Police Association of Canada, Guyana Mutual Insurance Company, and the Zara Group.
Most students who received bursaries on Friday have obtained 400 marks and above at the NGSA examination. On April 17 and 18, some 14,715 pupils wrote the examinations to complete their primary education and gain entrance into the secondary education system.