Opposition leader David Granger yesterday called for an investigation into the administration of hinterland schools after recent protests, but Education Minister Priya Manickchand said a detailed examination is already underway, focusing on the provision of services and the expansion of dormitories.
Granger issued the call in a statement, in wake of reports in the press of misconduct by both teachers and students in these schools, and he accused the Education Ministry of “dangerous” mismanagement.
He said that the education of children in many regions has been hampered due to severe and chronic administration issues over the years, while adding that there has been no considerable improvement in the management of dorms.
He cited the recent protest staged this week by parents from Ituni over the poor conditions at the Kwakwani and Linden Foundation secondary schools’ hostels and their claims that their children were physically and sexually abused. He also noted the one instance where a teenager returned home pregnant. Also this week, parents and residents of Port Kaituma also protested over the conditions at the community’s primary school.
More depressing, Granger said, were the reports of several death of students which have not been acceptably explained or investigated. He made reference to three pre-teen girls who perished in a fire at the Waramadong Secondary School in 2008; a 13-year-old student of the Charity Secondary School who was discovered hanging in the washroom of the school’s dormitory; a 15-year-old girl of St. Ignatius Secondary School who was found hanging from a tree; and most recently, the discovery of decomposing bodies of three young boys from the Aishalton Secondary School. At the Aishalton school, he added, two teachers had been investigated for the sexual molestation of students only two months previous.
Also, Granger touched on an issue whereby children had to be sent home because of a lack of food at the Port Kaituma Secondary School dorm in March 2010. He further stated that eleven students of the Three-Mile Secondary School dormitory had to be rushed to the Bartica hospital after suffering bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in September 2009. It was believed to be as a result of contaminated water, he said.
Granger further noted that drug abuse is another problem faced in these regions.
However, Minister Manickchand said that while she welcomes what appears to be Granger’s “newfound interest in our hinterland students,” his concern comes at a time when the government through the Education, Amerindian Affairs and Local Government ministries has already taken on such work.
“While Mr. Granger’s interest may be late and even to a reasonable person may appear to be motivated by political opportunism, his interest is encouraged. I would urge though that some balance and reality be attached to statements made about our children and that we desist from politicking with our young and innocent student population,” she said.
After reviewing the statement by Granger, she told Stabroek News that the Chief Education Officer, leading a team of officials from the education ministry, is presently at the St. Ignatius dorm school in Region 9 to deliver more materials to students and to examine ways in which they can better the delivery of education. She further stated that this exercise is being conducted one week after the Chief Education Officer visited the Santa Rosa Secondary School in Region 1 for a similar exercise. Also, she revealed that plans are underway to visit the dorm school at Paramakatoi next week.
Manickchand pointed out that is because of an interest in treating the hinterland children equally and because of conscious and focused policies and programmes to provide education, the hinterland now has the largest numbers in the history of Guyana writing CSEC, with an unprecedented number of passes.
“St. Ignatius is just one example of the success of hinterland education. The enrolment and exam results of the students’ success there are evidenced by the government’s efforts,” she said, adding that a new school is soon to be opened in Sand Creek and more such interventions in hinterland education are being undertaken.
Additionally, she said, the percentage of trained teachers in the hinterland is the highest it has ever been in Guyana with vigorous efforts being made to increase this percentage even more.
“We have, inter alia, last year conducted extensive training with our dorm mothers and fathers and heads of dorm schools even while we continue to expand and upgrade dorm facilities in several regions,” she noted.
She indicated that this reflects only a small section of the list of various interventions being made to ensure that young people are provided with opportunities for a good education. “We will bolster and improve our efforts already begun to address the dorm schools,” Manickchand assured.
“…Even as we seek now to provide access to secondary education universally, I agree we must specifically address the shortcomings we have within the constraints of our country’s economy,” she further stated. “We are in the process of doing just that with a focused view to ensuring all of our children receive equitable access to quality education and to all our services. We recognize that we share, with the rest of the world, the challenges that are faced by dorms and dorm schools. We are however determined to meet those challenges,” she added.
