-efforts being made to source engine for bus
By Cathy Richards
Residents of Three Friends/Mariah Elizabeth and Coomacka, Region Ten are appealing for transportation assistance to get their children to and from school while the bus that serves the areas undergoes repairs.
Children from the said riverain communities which are more than eight miles from Linden are forced to walk, travel by boat or depend on irregular transportation to get to and from school. Mariah Elizabeth/Three Friends which is located about one mile from Coomacka boasts a nursery school but primary school-age children have to go to Coomacka for schooling. This dilemma mirrors the one that secondary school children face as the nearest secondary school is located in Linden.
Parents told Stabroek News that they are frustrated by the situation. Many of them are single and unemployed and a quick look around the community revealed that each home had no less than three children. Many parents said they had been retrenched from the Linden bauxite company and depended on farming for a livelihood but the recent rains have destroyed their farms. Others said that they depended on the fathers of their children for support but many of them had also been retrenched from the company and were forced to go into the interior to seek employment.
One woman said when her husband first went into the interior he would “send out wah ever lil money he could a send fuh me and dem children” but it has now been two years since he has stopped supporting her and their four children. Her story did not differ much from others. Another woman said since her husband went into the interior she has made efforts to secure employment but this has been hindered by the distance between her job and home.
“I ain’t a lazy woman, I ain’t gat no big time education so I can’t get dem fancy paying job. For one year I worked as a security guard but the troubles that me children end up in over da period a time is heart wrecking,” she said. The woman said in her absence her daughter had been raped and her sons would not attend school. “Now ain’t like long time when neighbour used to look out for one another,” she lamented, adding that she has since left the job and now does “odds and ends work” to support her children.
The parents’ gravest lament was that they could not afford the transportation costs to send their children to school and as such they were being made to walk the distance every day. Most times the children would reach to school very late and return home late so “keeping them up to do home work and study is always a problem because they are usually so tired,” one mother said. The situation is just as hard for those attending secondary school as the distance is further. For most, their attendance is irregular and they often drop out of school as they are unable to keep pace with their classmates. Doing assignments is also challenging as accessing the library and computers after school hours means walking home even later. Some parents have had to send their secondary school age children to live with relatives to ensure that that they complete school. Some children have also had to reside with friends and in hostels.
In an interview, Region Ten Regional Development Officer Maylene Charter-Stephens said efforts are being made to address the transportation issues. She said in 2006 government had donated a 32-seater school bus to the Coomacka community to transport children from Mariah Elizabeth/Three Friends and Nottinghamshire to and from school. The $5M bus was left under the management of the community group as requested by residents. The group had decided that persons who used the bus would pay a nominal fee which was to be used for maintenance. This arrangement worked well for a short time. “Persons were enjoying the service and children were getting to and from school in an organized manner. They had set time and places for daily pick up and drop off,” she said.
According to Carter-Stephens efforts were even made to put the bus under the supervision of the regional administration but this was met with outright objections by residents. However, things went downhill when the bus developed mechanical problems and was taken to be repaired. She said while in the care of the mechanic the engine was switched and it has not been located and though the matter had engaged the attention of the police it is yet to be resolved.
In the interest of the children and following frequent calls for help by affected residents interventions are being made to address the situation through the public works ministry, the prime minister’s office and Region Ten Regional Executive Officer Henry Rodney. This newspaper understands that officials are currently trying to source a compatible engine for the bus.
