MINISTRY OF EDUCATION EMPOWERS STUDENTS TO TRANSFORM GUYANA’S AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL INTO INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE

This vision was brought to life on Thursday at the Ministry’s inaugural Secondary Sector and TVET Agricultural Science Student-Led Value Addition Symposium 2026, held at The Royal Mall under the theme, “From Farm to Market: Students Adding Value to Agriculture.”

The symposium brought together secondary school students from across Guyana to showcase their creativity, technical knowledge and entrepreneurial abilities through the development of value-added products from locally grown agricultural commodities.

Speaking at the opening, Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain stated that this year’s initiative is a renewed approach to agricultural education, placing students in leadership roles and giving them the opportunity to demonstrate how knowledge acquired in the classroom can be translated into practical solutions.

Meanwhile Chief Planning Officer at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Mischka White-Griffith noted that symposium reinforces the Ministry’s commitment to making education relevant, practical and responsive to Guyana’s development priorities, particularly the growing importance of agriculture, agro-processing, food security and entrepreneurship.

Through the competition, students were challenged to take selected regional crops through the stages of processing, preservation, packaging, branding and marketing, demonstrating how raw agricultural commodities can be transformed into products with greater economic value.

Queen’s College emerged as the overall National Champion, securing 95 points out of a possible 100. St. George’s School of the Sciences secured second place with 94 points, followed by Mahaicony Secondary School in third place with 92 points. Bushlot Secondary School placed fourth with 91 points, while J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School rounded out the top five with 90 points.

The closely contested results reflected the quality of the students’ work and the high standard of innovation, technical execution and product development demonstrated throughout the competition.

The participating schools were assessed across three components: the product (74 points), oral presentation (11 points), and display (15 points). These areas evaluated students’ ability to develop quality value-added products, explain the processes employed and effectively present their work.

Beyond the competition itself, the symposium provided a platform for students to explore the commercial possibilities of agricultural innovation. Through discussions and presentations, they were able to examine important considerations such as identifying potential customers, calculating production costs, determining selling prices, developing marketing strategies and assessing the commercial viability of their products.

The event also highlighted the importance of food safety, appropriate preservation techniques, attractive packaging and sustainable production practices. These skills are particularly relevant to reducing post-harvest losses, strengthening local food production and creating opportunities for small-scale agro-processing enterprises.

The Ministry recognises that agricultural education must extend beyond theoretical instruction. By creating opportunities for students to engage directly in processing, preservation, product development and entrepreneurship. As such, the Ministry of Education remains committed to strengthening practical and technical learning opportunities that empower students to contribute meaningfully to national development and to recognise the possibilities that exist within Guyana’s agricultural sector.