ANSA McAL Trading Limited marked 25 years in Guyana today and as part of observances of its Silver Anniversary it has launched its Public Service Award Programme which will see a teacher receiving $500,000.
The initiative was launched today at the company’s Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara office. Managing Director of ANSA, Troy Cadogan said that although the programme is being launched as part of the company’s Silver Anniversary it will become an annual feature on the company’s calendar, a release from the Ministry of Education said.
He said that under the programme, there will be a teacher of the year, nurse of the year and police officer of the year award for the period 2017-2018. The winning public servant in each category will be awarded $500,000, the release said. In addition, there will be 30 consolation prizes where 10 teachers, nurses and police officers will receive $50,000 each. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony held next year.
“We’ll be honouring the excellence of the best teacher in the country, the excellence of the best nurse in the country and the excellence of the best police officer in the country”, Cadogan told the press conference.
He said that on most occasions, the negative stories of these three professions are told and the positive sides are not celebrated.
“We feel that these three professions are often downtrodden. With the emergence of the private schools, the public-school system is in need of a shot in the arm whereby to me, we need to showcase the excellence that is in the public-school system. Everywhere you go you hear about the negative stories of nurses and every time you talk about a policeman you always hear about the negative part of the police trade”, he stated.
He said that an independent and impartial judges’ panel will review the nominations and make the selection.
Cadogan added that there will be a social media aspect of the programme whereby nominees will be able to canvass for votes online. He said that this will only account for 10 per cent of the total votes.
Cadogan said that his company takes its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously and boasted, “No other company in Guyana has a bigger social conscience than ANSA McAl”, the ministry release said.
