Arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted “systemic failures and deficiencies” within the education sector and the government at-large, opposition Member of Parliament Lenox Shuman on Friday said the indigenous people across the country are struggling as a result.
Delivering his maiden speech during the budget debate last Friday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Shuman, Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), highlighted the effects on the delivery of education and the disparity between what is obtaining on the coastland as against the hinterland. He told the House that the coastland schools are at advantage during this period since they are equipped with the necessary tools for online classes, which includes internet access while the indigenous communities are forced to “self-teach” in a language that is “alien” to some of them.
“Our communities are struggling through COVID-19. Schools on the coast are enjoying internet access, TV and radio broadcast learning tools, while many of our Indigenous communities are expected to self-teach in a language that is somewhat alien to them, in preparation for exams that are mostly void of their collective histories,” Shuman said.
Schools across the country have been closed since March 17th after Guyana recorded its first COVID-19 case. Since then, students have been learning remotely, with those who have internet access benefitting from online learning.
The new school year resumed virtually last week and a number of programmes were rolled out on the Guyana Learning Channel to cater for those students who do not have access to the internet.
According to Shuman, over the years, the coastland communities have benefitted from number of infrastructural projects to support education and the economy while the indigenous communities have been forced to capitalise on whatever is available to them.
“Mr Speaker, we have seen infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, hospitals, internet and electricity coming to communities on the coast to support education and the economy while Indigenous communities are forced to deal with inadequate solar panels, sluggish and unreliable internet connection, and poorly maintained trails,” Shuman said.
This, according to the Deputy Speaker, is an “indictment” of all previous administrations. “…..Added to this, not only are communities dealing with this in a COVID environment, they are trying to deal with this while at the same time trying to deal with land conflicts and climate change which threatens both, their personal and food security,” Shuman stated.
