In observance of World Press Freedom Day today, the Guyana Government launched the country’s first Media and Communications Academy which aims to empower and further professionalise local media workers.
The launch was done at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) during a National Conference and Symposium organised by the Guyana Government to commemorate this day which is being observed under the theme “Journalism under Digital Siege”.
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs Kwame McCoy explained that a lot of hard work went into the launching of this new academy.
“We, in the Office of the Prime Minister, have spent the past few months toiling over the birthing of a new facility that can facilitate bridging of the many skills and learning gaps that must be quickly addressed that allow practitioners and the fraternity as a whole to grow and flourish hand in hand with the country,” McCoy noted.
“What started out as the active consideration for the establishment of a broadcasting academy as was [mentioned] in my 2021 budget speech in the National Assembly has evolved fulsomely into what will be the groundbreaking Guyana Media and Communication Academy – a virtual academy that works in the interest of our media practitioners to ensure that the academy facilitates world-class learning and certification across the widest possible spectrum of the industry related in areas of study,” he added.
The Guyana Government has partnered with Coursera in delivering this initiative.
“…to make the academy a dynamic virtual institution of reputable credence,” McCoy noted.
According to the Public Affairs Minister, every single Guyanese media practitioner including those in the diaspora will have access to the courses offered by the academy. Moreover, he noted that the classes will be paid for by the government.
“[The initiative] will allow you to pursue selections from among more than 2000 world-class courses at various levels of certification from leading partnered universities in the world including IV league institutions.”
“The academy’s continuous media education programme will allow for the streamlining of graduates into professional grades of practice at the level professional specialist and expert practitioners.”
Minister McCoy further stated that in the coming years, the government will redouble these efforts.
Meanwhile, joining the event in a virtual message was Kevin Mills who is a representative from Coursera. He noted that Guyana in 2020 stood out as one of the top three countries in the world in terms of successful graduate per capita.
“When we launched our programme, Coursera for workforce recovery initiative, with over 100 countries back in 2020, Guyana stood out as one of the top three countries in the world in terms of successful graduates per capital, with over 50,000 course certificates issued across a wide range of domains in just a few months,” he expressed.
“The energy and commitment of Guyanese learners demonstrate a hunger for learning and positions Guyana as a middle model for other countries. It is a strong testament to Guyana’s leadership as they aim to match skills needed of the country with the growing ambition of its people as Guyana ushers in a new era of national development,” Mills added.
