Guyana: Labour Ministry shares story of Kirt Lewis, student at Bartica Secondary School

Guyana: The Ministry of Labour and the Board of Industrial Training of Guyana have praised and lauded a student at Bartica Secondary School – Kirt Lewis.

The social media post the ministry informed that nobody could have anticipated or accomplished becoming the breadwinner at such a young age. Kirt Lewis, a student at Bartica Secondary School in Region Seven, however, saw this as a “no-brainer” after the death of his father some time ago.

According to it, his father’s untimely death left him, his mother, and his sister apprehensive of what to do next, especially given the COVID pandemic. “I was powerless and didn’t know what to do to help share my mother’s burden until Mr (Joseph) Bharrat walked up and chatted with me,” he explained.

He stated that after COVID limitations were relaxed, he was inspired to enrol in the Board of Industrial Training’s welding and fabrication programme. Mr Lewis stated that once in the program, he had amazing encouragement from his facilitator, Mr Christopher Fiedtkou, and classmates to push beyond his bounds and flourish.

“I was a bit upset when I found out that I had failed and would need to take my CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) in 2023.” “However, after listening to my classmates, I realized that I needed to work harder at both school and training,” he explained.

Mr Lewis stated that it was difficult, but he is grateful to have received his welding and fabrication certification. His triumph did not end there, as he was able to obtain a part-time job with Mr Fiedtkou’s business, the post outlined.

It added, “He expressed his gratitude to the government through BIT for providing him with the opportunity to learn a life skill that will now help him sustain his family. He intends to begin working full-time as soon as he completes his secondary education. Noting that this is not the end of his story, he hopes that others will see it and take advantage of the agency’s programmes.”