The disqualifying of a child from the Mashramani calypso competition as her offering queried the 6.5% increase handed out by government has sparked criticism of the Ministry of Education.
“Tell me, how we must survive with 6.5?” were the words of the chorus uttered by a schoolgirl during the Region Six Mashramani competition calypso and dramatic poetry event held on Tuesday.
The words of the calypso were: “Tell me how I must survive with 6.5? Please tell meh how I must survive with 6.5? I have a burning issue on meh chest /I can’t even rest/how cost of living everything doubling/this thing troubling/ tell me how I must carry on with a seemingly one arm? Tell me how I must survive with 6.5? Every time I go to the market everything sky rocket/ rice, the beans, the cheese the liver/ them mek me want shiver/ tell me how I must carry on with a seemingly one arm?/ tell me how I must survive with 6.5?/ please tell me how I must survive with 6.5?/ The other day the landlord come fuh he rent/ I pay him the last few cents/ plus GPL GWI and the rest of bill/I pay them against meh will/ tell me how I must carry on with a seemingly one arm?/ tell meh how I must survive with 6.5”.