The Bureau of Statistics today, Friday, 10th November, 2023 awarded prizes to the winners of its recently hosted Art and Essay Competitions in observance of Caribbean Statistics Day 2023.
These competitions were open from September 5 to October 16, 2023 and formed part of the efforts of the Bureau to increase data literacy among the school-aged population. It was a close collaboration with the CARICOM Regional Statistics programme.
In the Art Competition, students aged 9 to 11 were tasked with illustrating how Data can be used to develop their community. The entries were judged based on creativity, interpretation of theme, skills and techniques, composition and layout and presentation. Seventeen (17) entries were received for this competition.
Nandanie Ram of the Lusignan Learning Center copped the first-place prize of a Tablet Computer; Saira Seeram of Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary School copped the second-place prize of a Gift Card and Tasmina Kazim of the Academy of Excellence took home the third-place prize of a Backpack with school and art supplies.
The Essay competition targeted students between the ages of 12-14 and they were tasked with writing an essay about the importance of the Guyana National Population and Housing Census. Twenty-seven (27) entries were received and they were judged based on Focus/main point, support, organization and format, language use, style and conventions and originality.
Rhesa Langevine of Queen’s College copped the first-place prize of a Tablet Computer; Shazim Alli of the Friendship Secondary School copped the second-place prize of a Smart Phone and Eziel Robinson of St. Joseph High School took home the third-place prize of a shopping voucher.
During the prize giving ceremony hosted at the Bureau’s Head office, Chief Statistician, Errol La Cruez highlighted the important role the organization plays in not only gathering, analyzing, and sharing data, but also ensuring that persons appreciate the value of data and statistics.
Therefore, these competitions contributed to the Bureau’s efforts towards ensuring students connect with the work of the organization.
In his remarks to the students, the Chief Statistician urged them to embrace numbers, since they paint detailed pictures. He added that when facts and figures are collected, better informed decisions can be made.
He impressed upon the students, the importance of Mathematics and the need to put special effort into acquiring these skills, since this critical skill set will continue to increase in demand.
La Cruez congratulated the winners and thanked them for their participation in the competitions. The Bureau also hosted a Data Analysis Competition in observance of Caribbean Statistics Day, which saw University of Guyana Students tasked with analyzing a data set and producing a report. The winners of that competition will be announced shortly. (DPI)
