Guyana’s bilingual push could boost diplomatic ties, workforce development – Mexican Ambassador

As Guyana aligns itself to become a bilingual nation, Mexican ambassador to Guyana, Mauricio Vizcaíno Crespo explained that this move will not only enhance global trade and competitiveness but also strengthen its ties with the Latin American community.

The ambassador made this comment during a recent edition of the Energy Perspectives podcast where he highlighted Mexico’s contribution to Guyana’s Development in terms of education.

He noted that currently, several international countries are currently eyeing Guyana as an investment hub due to its growing economy. However, he noted that the lack of a skilled workforce is an obstacle that the country is currently facing.

“There are many companies that are willing, that are starting already, already started coming into Guyana and seeing again, the potential of having a very young population and eager population to see what’s in for them in this economic boom so they want to contribute, but they need the tools.”

In this regard, He added that with over 1500 tertiary institutions in Mexico, the country could significantly contribute to the enhancement of the local education sector.

“And that’s where international partners, such as Mexico, can come into the equation. We have more than 1,500 universities in Mexico, and that includes public universities, private universities, specialisation schools. So, we’re trying to build, again, bridges and connections, networks between the academia in Mexico and here in Guyana.”

On, this point the ambassador highlighted that it is also important for the Government to work closely with the private sector. This he noted will ensure that educational institutions are in line with the labour demands within the country.

“We have learned a big lesson in Mexico, and that’s that, you have to work hand in hand with the private sector. To know, and I’m talking about the academia, the universities, they have to know what the private sector is, where they are going, what they need, so you stop graduating people that may not find opportunities in the future.”

He added, “So that you prepare them from college, university, schools, even technical schools, because that’s some side of education that’s been growing all over the world, and Mexico is no exception. Sometimes the answer is not creating more PhDs and MBAs. Some of the answers rely on the technical side of it, and these are very valuable positions within the labour market.”

Moreover, ambassador Crespo highlighted that Mexico could also play an important role in helping Guyana transition into a bilingual nation.

“And of course, in helping Guyana embrace this neighbourhood sense, in which most of your neighbours speak a different language. So, also that’s another aspect to how Mexico could help create the objective that you’ve set for yourselves to be a bilingual nation, with either English plus Spanish plus Portuguese plus French and any other of the languages from the neighbours.”

Meanwhile, in a move intended to ensure the future generation of the country is not left behind in a rapidly changing economy.

President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced last year that Spanish would be a mandatory subject from as early as primary school, he explained that Cabinet members would also be mandated to learn the language.

Spanish is the official language of 20 countries and is rated as the world’s second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese, and the world’s fourth-most spoken language overall